Forbidden: A New Beginning
by Alexandria M
Summary: *3rd installment to the Forbidden Stories* We all know what happened after Tessa and John but now what happens after the truth is out about Zachary? CAn Tessa and John coexist? And be able to make it through the new changes of their lives.
1. Chapter 1

***Here is the 3rd installment to the Forbidden Stories I hope that you enjoy chapter 1***

***NEW YEAR'S DAY ONE YEAR LATER***

"How are you doing today?" asked Carol asked John as he set up for Zaiden's and Zuri's 1st birthday party.

"Mom, the same way I have felt all year. This day is possibly the most bittersweet day I've experienced in my life. I don't know if I should be sad or if I should be happy. I don't know," answered John. Over the last year he had a lot of these moments. A lot of moments where he wasn't sure if he should be happy or if he should be sad. His entire life over the year was a rollercoaster ride never knowing what type of emotion to feel.

"Well, I think you should be happy," said Carol. "I mean look at how happy Zaiden and Zuri are. You should be happy. It's their day."

"But it's also the day their mother left us," he said.

"And their birthdays will ALWAYS be the day their mother left you but you can't keep dwelling on that, John. You can't keep being sad on their birthdays. It's not fair to them and it's not fair to you. You should see this day as a gift," said Carol.

"A gift? My wife died because of me.. And you want me to see this day as a gift?"

"She gave you two beautiful children.. They are a gift."

"Three," he said, "don't forget about Zola."

"I know but I was only thinking about Zuri and Zaiden."

"I know," said John as he hanged up the Happy Birthday banner in the dining room while his mom set up the table. "Although I never expected my New Year's Days to be like this for the next 18 years."

"I bet," she said with a smile as Zuri walked into the room. "Hey there, Pretty Girl."

"Hi," she said with a smile. Over the last year Zuri began to look more and more like Ryan everyday. She had a light tan complexion, curly dark brown hair, long eyelashes with the biggest dark brown eyes anyone had ever seen. She had her mother's eyes she was her mother. "She looks like Ryan."

"I know," said John. "She is her mother 100%. What's wrong, Princess?" Zuri didn't say anything but pointed at the Yo Gabba Gabba decorations on the table. "Is that Brobee?"

"Yes," she said as Zaiden came into the dining room too.

"Hey, Little Buddy," said John with a smile. "Here's my little buddy."

"Daddy," he said as he came into the room. Zaiden on the other hand was completely John. He had a light tan complexion, curly dark brown hair, John's facial features and bluish grey eyes.

"What's up Buddy?" asked John as he picked him up. "It's almost time for your party. I know you two have no idea what's going on but it's your birthday, Zaiden. Happy Birthday. And you my princess had a birthday last night when you were sound asleep. Happy Birthday Zuri." He scooped her up too and gave them both a kiss on their foreheads. He put them down and told them to go play. They both toddled off into the living room to go play.

"So is Zachary coming to the party today?"

"He is but Scarlet is not. Dave has Scarlet and he is not letting her come to the party with Tessa."

"That's a shame. That poor girl is always left out."

"I know but when it's his time to have her he keeps her and doesn't make exceptions. Tess gets her back at the end of the week."

"I see," she said. "And what about Zachary? Does he even acknowledge him anymore?"

"Nope. Not at all," said John. "The day we found out was the last time he even spoke to Zachary. He told him that he loved him and he always would but he never bothers with him. He never asks if he's okay and when Zachary was having a hard time dealing with everything he never once bothered to help out with the adjustment but all the while he was father of the year to Scarlet."

"Would you have let him in Zachary's life?" she asked.

"Of course I would. Zachary knew him for 7 years as his father… I wouldn't have told Dave to go away. I'm not that kind of guy, Mom. You and Dad raised me to have some integrity."

"I know we did a good job with you," she said as the front door opened and closed.

"Honey, I'm here," said a female's voice.

"We're in the dining room," yelled John with a smile as Zachary came running into the room. "Hey Buddy."

"Hey, Dad," he said as he hugged his father.

"Where's your mom?"

"She's coming," he said as Tessa walked into the room.

"Hey, Baby," she said as she walked over and gave him a soft kiss on the lips as she held the kids' birthday cake.

"Hey," he said with a smile. "You got the cake."

"Yeah," she said. "It's amazing. Look at it," she said as she laid it down on the table. She opened the box exposing the Yo Gabba Gabba cake. "The bakery did an amazing job."

"I'll say," he said as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "They will love it," he said as Zola came into the dining room.

"Who is…" she said as she looked at Tessa. "Oh. It's only you."

"Zola," said John, "Be nice."

"John, don't worry about it," said Tessa. "I am used to it. She doesn't want me here. I know"

"But she is being disrespectful."

"She is being protective," said Tessa. "Hello, Zola."

"Goodbye, Tessa," she said as she left the dining room.

"Is she always like that?" asked Carol.

"Yep," said John, "she's even worse now that Tessa and me started going out again. Hopefully she'll come around."

"I doubt it," said Tessa, "she doesn't like me."

"She likes you she is just protective and thinks you're taking the place of Ryan."

"I'm not though," she said.

"I know you're not," said John. "It's okay. I still love you."

"I love you too," she said with a smile before John softly kissed her lips.

"So did you think about what I asked you?" asked John when he broke the kiss.

"I don't know, John. I really don't know."

"Come on. Please?" he asked her again.

"I will think about it," she said. "I will think about it. I need more time."

"All right," he said, "I'll give you more time. But trust me it will be well worth it."

"John, I said I need more time. You promised me that you would take things slow and give me time to make decisions. Isn't that what you promised me when we got back together?"

"Yes," he said. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Just try to remember."

"I will. Now let's go enjoy this party."

"All right," she said with a smile.

Zuri and Zaiden didn't really have a big 1st birthday party. It was just a small get together with Tessa, Zachary, Zola, Carol and John's father. John didn't want it to be anyone else because it was still a very emotional day for him. He wanted to keep it small and just spend it with the people he loved the most. It turned out to be a really good party despite the small amount of people. Zaiden and Zuri got presents that they opened themselves without any help and when it came time for cake they put their hands in the cake and had a field day eating it. They were a complete mess and as John watched them he wished Ryan could have been there to see them turn a year old. She would have enjoyed every moment of this but he knew that she was in Heaven watching over them. When they were finished with their cake John cleaned Zuri up while Tessa cleaned Zaiden up. Tessa was like a mother to them. John never asked her to be and never asked her to stand up to such responsibility but Tessa did it on her own. She stood up to be a mother figure in their life. She didn't ask them to call her mommy because she wasn't their mother but they did call her Tess which worked perfectly fine for her. She had been there since they were two months old and promised to be there the rest of their lives. She loved them as if they were her own and treated them as if they were her own. John was grateful for Tessa though because she helped him out a lot. There was no way he would have done all this on his own so he was grateful that Tessa stood up and offered to be there for the kids even Zola although she did not like Tessa; Tessa was still there for her when she was ready to accept Tessa into her life and accept that John and Tessa were together now. Which comes to this… John and Tessa never really had plans to get back together but it just happened one night. Things were much different this time but they were back together and John couldn't be happier but deep down he still felt like he was betraying Ryan in some way.

***A/N: So what did you think? Is it a keeper or no? Please Review and let me know. **


	2. Chapter 2

***Thank-you for all the reviews on the first chapter and thank-you to everyone that favorited and alerted the story. You guys are the best! Thank-you. **

A few days later Tessa was at the house she once shared with Dave waiting for him to bring Scarlet back. She couldn't wait to see Scarlet. She hadn't seen her for almost an entire week and once again missed Christmas with her because Dave insisted on having her once again for Christmas. Tessa realized they needed to come up with better arrangements for Scarlet but Dave was being very stubborn with her and had been since he found out Zachary was not his son. Zachary was in the living room playing a video game he had gotten from John for Christmas when the doorbell rang. "I'll get that," said Tessa as she got up from the couch. She would be the only to answer the door because Zachary was not allowed to answer the door whether Tessa was there or not. She walked over to the door and answered it to see Dave and Scarlet standing there. Seeing them side by side she could definitely see the resemblance and saw how much Scarlet really looked like her father. She was the spitting image except she still had the scarlet lips something Dave did not have. "Hey, Scarlet," said Tessa with a smile.

"Hey, Mommy," she said giving her mom a hug. "Look what Santa brought me at Daddy's." She showed Tessa a new outfit from one of her favorite stores.

"It's beautiful," said Tessa. "What else did Santa bring you?"

"Baby dolls and an American Girl Doll. I named her Mandy. She is so pretty but Daddy told me it had to stay at his house and I could play with it when I was there. He brought me books too. I love books and crafts. Daddy and me did a lot of crafts."

"I bet," said Tessa with a smile. That is one thing she could say positively about Dave and that was he was a good father. There was not one thing he wouldn't do for his children. If they asked him to play something he would play it no matter what. Just like he had played tea party with Scarlet many times. "Santa left you some presents under the tree here too."

"He did?" she asked as her eyes lit up.

"He did," said Tessa, "go get them and open them. See what all he left here for you."

"Okay!" she said with a smile. "Bye Daddy. I love you," she said as she ran off to the living room to open some presents.

"Bye, Scarlet. Love you," he said. "I'll see you in two weeks when I pick her up for the weekend," he said before he turned around.

"Dave, wait," said Tessa.

"What?" he asked.

"You can come in to watch her open her gifts."

"I'm fine," he said.

"Well, I wanted to talk to you about this agreement thing."

"Tessa, we already talked about it. Our lawyers talked about it and we were all in agreement. You got my house and full custody of Scarlet which is what you wanted. Along with child support."

"Dave, I think we have to talk about this agreement because I don't think it's fair I didn't get Scarlet on Christmas this year," she said as Scarlet came running to the door.

"Look, Daddy," she said showing him an American Girl doll. "Santa brought one here for me too!"

"I see," he said giving Tessa a look.

"What?" she said, "Maybe Santa knew you wouldn't let the one he brought to your house come to her mom's house with her."

"I'm going to name her Violet!"

"Beautiful name," said Tessa with a smile as Scarlet ran off to open more presents.

"You just had to out do me again didn't you?" asked Dave.

"I didn't out do you," said Tessa. "Why do you have to be like this?"

"I'm not being like anything," said Dave.

"You always try to be the best. You always want to be number 1. Being a parent isn't a competition."

"I didn't make it one," said Dave. "By the way where's Romeo?"

"At his house," said Tessa. "Why are you so worried about him?"

"Because I don't like Zola around Scarlet."

"Zola and Scarlet are fine," said Tessa, "and I'll let my daughter around anyone I want."

"She is MY daughter too. I do have a say, Tessa. You're her mother but she has a father too."

"I know but I don't complain when you allow her around those whores you bring over to the house."

"I have no whores. I have a girlfriend and her name is Stacy."

"I don't care," said Tessa.

"See? You're mad at me because I have a girlfriend and you don't like her around Scarlet but it's okay for you to have a boyfriend and have him around Scarlet as much as you want and if I am correct you fucked him in the same house my daughter was in while we were married. Why is it okay for you to have a boyfriend, cheat on me under the same roof as our daughter and allow this guy around our daughter but I can't have my girlfriend around her? You're selfish that's why."

"I am not selfish," said Tessa. This was pretty much how all their conversations had been since he found out Zachary was John's son. They could not get along and the simplest conversations turned into a fight. If anyone ever wondered why Dave and Tessa got a divorce it's because they could not get along and all they could do was fight.

"You are selfish, Tessa. You always have been. It's always been about what Tessa wanted and never about what anyone else wanted. You're selfish."

"I'm not the selfish one, Dave. You're the one that walked away and didn't want to work this out. That was selfish. You never thought about our daughter."

"Tessa, get over it. I left you and you talk about thinking about our daughter? Did you think about her when you were fucking John behind my back. Tessa, this was your fault. This whole thing."

"No, Dave, you're the one that walked away. You're the one that broke up our family."

"I broke up our family because of you, Tessa. You slept with John behind my back. I'm sorry if I didn't want my wife cheating on me."

"We could have worked through it. We could have saved our marriage."

"Tessa, again… everything is about you and what you want isn't it? Let me ask you this if this would have happened the other way around and I cheated on you would you give me another chance or no?"

"I would give you another chance," she answered.

"No you wouldn't. You would not. You're just saying that. You would have done the same thing. Tessa, I'm not going to keep having this argument with you."

"Then stop being an asshole," she said.

"Yep. I'm an asshole and you're obviously not too broken up over our divorce because 2 months after I left you for good you wasted no time getting back with Romeo. Did you ever really love me or was I just a fling for you?"

"Dave, I may be a lot of things and I may have done a lot of things but I have never faked my love for you. I did love you, Hell, I still love you. Anything I ever said about loving you was never a lie. I really did love you. I really did."

"Right, Tessa," he said.

"I did," she said. "Did you ever really love me?"

"You know I did, Tess. Why ask?"

"Never mind," she said as Scarlet came to the door again.

"Daddy, Santa brought me lots of things. They are so cool. I got more crafts."

"Did you?" he asked with a smile. "Well, that's good because you love your crafts."

"I know," she said as John walked up with the kids.

"Well, its time for me to go. I love you, Scarlet and I will call you later. Bye."

"Bye, Daddy," she said as she hugged him.

"Bye, Tess," said Dave as he walked down the front porch walking past John. Their hate for one another had grown even bigger in the last year so as they passed each other they gave each other the glare of death and continued walking in their direction.

John walked into the door and said, "Hey, Beautiful."

"Hey, Baby," she said as he softly kissed her lips.

"What was that all about?" he asked taking off the kids' jackets.

"Him just being an asshole. I don't know why I bother."

"I am not surprised," said John. "But don't worry about it. Everything will be all right."

"I guess," she said as she shut the door and walked to the living room with John.

"So did you do anymore thinking about what I asked you?" he asked as they sat down on the couch.

"No, John. I didn't reach my decision yet."

"What is taking so long?"

"After Dave…. I just want to make sure I make the right decision. It is going to take some time. Can you be patient?"

"For you definitely. I waited this long… I guess I can wait for you to make a decision."

"Thanks," she said with smile.

"You're welcome."

***A/N: So what did you think? Please review and thank-you for taking the time to read. **


	3. Chapter 3

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much. **

A couple weeks later John was working a little later than usual at his gym in the city. He usually tried to be out of work by the time the kids got out of school but that particular day he had to stay a while longer. Luckily for him Tessa didn't have to work so she was able to pick the kids up from school and take them to her house till John got off work. Tessa never picked the kids up from school because she was always working and working till about 8 in the evening sometimes later. This was a whole new adventure for her as she drove to the private school all the kids attended after she had picked Zaiden and Zuri up from day care. She pulled into the school's parking lot and waited in the car until the bell rang. She got out of the car with Zaiden and Zuri and walked over to the school to get them. She was happy that she could actually surprise them for once. She knew everyone would be surprised except for Zola. Scarlet came out first with her kindergarten class and her face lit up instantly when she saw Tessa standing there. "MOMMY!" she yelled as she ran over and gave her a hug.

"Hey, Scar," said Tessa. "How was school?"

"Good. We made snowflakes today!"

"That's so cool," said Tessa with a smile as Zachary came out next with his class. "Hey, Buddy."

"Hey, Mom," he said giving her a hug. "Where's Dad?"

"He had to work so I needed to pick you up."

"Cool," he said with a smile.

They waited a couple minutes for Zola and she finally came out. She had a smile on her face at first but when she saw Tessa it faded away. She walked over to her and said, "where's my dad?"

"He's working," said Tessa, "I came to pick you up."

"Great," she said sarcastically.

"I know," said Tessa as she got the kids ready to walk over to the car. She put them all in the car and then headed home. She knew by the way Zola was acting that it was not going to be a good night.

Just like she thought it wasn't going to be a good night. As soon as she got the kids home she had Zachary and Zola sit down to do homework except Zola didn't want to do her homework for Tessa so she spent about an hour fighting with her to do it before Zola realized she wasn't winning and gave in to do it. Tessa then got dinner started and as they ate dinner Zola wanted no part in it. She pushed her plate aside and left the table to go do some reading. "Mommy, are you going to punish Zola?" asked Scarlet.

"No, Honey. That's just how she is. I am not hurt at all by it so no need to punish her because she'll just do it again. She will realize that not eating dinner is only hurting her and not me."

"Oh," she said. "So I guess she doesn't get desert?"

"Right," said Tessa. "And we're having Ice Cream Sundaes!"

"I LOVE Ice cream sundaes. That's too bad for her."

"Yes it is," said Tessa as she gave Zaiden and Zuri some more food on their high chair trays.

"Zola doesn't like you," said Zachary. "She said you are taking her mom's place."

"I know she doesn't like me but I am not taking her mom's place. I would never do that. I love her and I hope one day she will see that I am just here to help her out."

"Well, I think you're the best mommy in the world," said Scarlet as she ate another bite of her food.

"Thanks," said Tessa with a smile.

"You are," said Zachary.

"Thank-you," she said with another smile. It meant everything to her to hear her kids tell her she was the best mommy in the world. At times she didn't feel like it because of always working but she was glad to know that they still thought she was the best. "Guys, I'm sorry I work so much. I really am."

"That's okay," said Scarlet. "Because you write books. Really good books. All my friends in my class love your books. It's okay."

"No," said Tessa. "It's not. I need to take a vacation and take a break from writing books and spend time with you guys."

"That would be fun," said Zachary.

"Yeah it would," said Scarlet, "but I want you to write a new book. I really want you to write a new book."

"How about this? How about I take a vacation for a month or so and then when I come back I write a new book? Right now Mommy has no ideas."

"You can write more about the princess, Mommy," she said.

"We'll see," said Tessa, "but I really want to spend time with you guys."

"Yes!" said Zachary.

"Okay," said Scarlet as she finished her dinner. "Can I have ice cream now?"

"Yes," said Tessa with a smile as she got up to clear the table.

Once she had the table cleared off and everything cleaned up she gave Zachary, Scarlet, Zaiden and Zuri some ice cream. When Zola heard about the ice cream she was upset that she didn't get any but all Tessa told her was that if she ate her dinner then she could have some but Zola replied, "I don't want to eat your cooking. You're not my mom and I'm not eating your food. I will starve first."

"Okay," said Tessa.

"Ugh," she said as she stormed out of the kitchen while Scarlet and Zachary laughed.

"You two that's enough."

"Sorry," said Zachary.

"Sorry, Mommy," said Scarlet as she went on to eat her ice cream.

"It's okay," said Tessa as she helped the little ones with their ice cream.

After they were done with their ice cream John still wasn't home yet so Tessa took Zaiden and Zuri upstairs to give them a bath while Zachary was in his room reading a book and Zola and Scarlet were playing a game in Scarlet's bedroom. They were playing a simple game of Go Fish when Zola said, "Scarlet, do you want to play a different game?"

"What kind of game?" asked Scarlet. "I have Chutes and Ladders."

"Not Chutes and Ladders. That's a baby game. Do you want to play a big kid game?"

"Yes," said Scarlet. "What are we going to play?"

"You have to promise me you won't tell."

"Okay," said Scarlet. 'I won't tell."

"All right," said Zola. "It's called hardest hit. We're going to see who hits the hardest."

"Okay," said Scarlet. "but my mommy said I'm not allowed to hit."

"Are you a baby or a big girl?" asked Zola.

"A big girl," she said.

"Okay," said Zola. "So are you playing or not?"

"I'll play," said Scarlet.

"Good. You go first. Hit me anywhere and we'll see who hits harder."

"Okay," said Scarlet as she took her hand and slapped Zola on her arm. "How about that?"

"That was good. It hurt a little bit but I was thinking something more like this," said Zola as she balled up her fist and punched Scarlet in her eye as hard as she could. Zola had about 8 inches on Scarlet, 10 lbs on her and a couple of years so of course she would hit harder and she knew it. That's why she chose to play the game because it was her intention to hurt Scarlet. She knew she couldn't hurt Tessa so she hurt Scarlet knowing she would never be able to hurt Zachary. It was one of her ways of getting to Tessa and letting out her anger.

As soon as Zola's fist connected with Scarlet's eye she screamed out and began to cry. "That hurt!" said Scarlet as she cried. "MOMMY!"

"Good," said Zola "it was supposed to. And if you tell on me I'll do it again but harder."

"MOMMY!" she yelled again as she held her eye.

Tessa was just getting the little ones into their pajamas when she heard Scarlet screaming and as Scarlet screamed John walked in the door. They both went running to her cries but Tessa got there first and said, "Scarlet what happened?"

Scarlet stood holding her eye crying and turned her back to Zola. Zola gave her a softer punch to remind her not to tell on her. "I fell off the bed and hit my eye, Mommy," she said as John appeared in the door.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Scarlet fell, Daddy," said Zola as innocent as could be. "I told her not to jump on the bed but she didn't listen."

"Scarlet," said John. "You know better."

"Yes you do," said Tessa, "what is the rule?"

"I know," said Scarlet. "No jumping on the bed."

"That's right," said Tessa. "Let me see your eye." Scarlet removed her hand and it was already beginning to bruise which didn't surprise Tessa because Scarlet was an easy bruiser. "Oh my goodness. Let's get some meat on that eye."

"Okay, Mommy," she said as Tessa picked her up to take her downstairs to the kitchen to get some meat on her eye. Zola smiled to herself after her dad and Tessa had their backs to her and headed downstairs to get her stuff ready.

Tessa took Scarlet into the kitchen followed by John. She sat her down on the island as John grabbed some meat from the freezer to put on her eye. He walked it over to her and said, "Other than this how did it go tonight?"

"Fine except Zola refused to eat dinner so she didn't get desert and it took her an hour to agree to do homework. It's been a wild night."

"I'm sorry," he said as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "I should have been home sooner."

"It's fine," said Tessa.

"Where are the other kids?"

"Zachary has Zaiden and Zuri in my room watching them while I deal with this."

"Oh," he said. "I missed you though."

"I missed you too," said Tessa. "How was work?"

"Exhausting. I bet you can't wait to go back."

"Actually, I'm taking a month off. I want to spend time with the kids."

"Oh," he said in a surprised tone. "That's awesome."

"Thanks," she said.

"Well, I'm probably going to get Zola, Zaiden and Zuri and head home for the night. I will see you tomorrow."

"Actually you are more than welcome to stay here tonight with me," said Tessa.

"Tonight. On a school night?" he asked. "What about your rules?"

"Forget my rules," said Tessa, "and besides I have been thinking about what you asked me and I think I made my decision."

"Yeah?" he said with a smile.

"Let's move in together."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes. Let's get a house together," she said. "I want to live with you like before."

"All right," he said with a smile. "I love you."

"I love you too," she said before he softly kissed her lips.

"Does that mean I have to live with Zola?" asked Scarlet.

"Yes," said Tessa. "We're all going to be living together."

"Oh," she said sadly.

"Are you okay?" asked John. "Don't you want to live with her?"

"I do but it's just…"

"It's just what?" asked Tessa concerned.

"Nothing," she said. "It's nothing."

"Okay," said Tessa as Zola came in the kitchen.

"Dad, I'm ready to go. Let's go," she said.

"Actually, Zo, we're staying here tonight."

"What?" she asked. "I wanted to go home. You never sleepover at Tessa's on a school night."

"Well," said John. "You might want to get used to it because Tessa and me are moving in together."

"Oh. Wonderful," she said as she burned with rage inside of her body. That was the last thing she wanted. She had to get rid of Tessa and she was going to get rid of Tessa if it was the last thing she did. She just had to come up with a plan to get rid of her and she had no idea where to begin.

"It is wonderful," said John. "wonderful."

***A/N: So what did you think? Please review and thank-you for taking the time to read. **


	4. Chapter 4

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. THey were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much! **

Over the next couple of weeks Tessa and John had been house hunting. They were trying to find a house in New York because of Dave and his visitation with Scarlet but they were not finding any that interested them. They then started looking at houses not too far out of New York like in Connecticut or something like that. They wanted something close enough so Dave wouldn't pitch a fit. Tessa was officially taking a break from writing for about a month or two so she could spend time with the kids as well as looking for houses. She was sitting at her desk while the kids were in school looking at houses when her phone rang. She picked up her phone to see that it was John calling. She grew a smile on her face and answered it. "Hey, Baby," she said.

"Hey, Beautiful," he said. "How's it going?"

"Good," she said. "Zaiden and Zuri are taking a nap and I'm just looking at houses online."

"Still looking at houses?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said. "I really want to move so that we can be together more."

"I know me too but I think you should take a break from house hunting and have dinner with me tonight."

"And what about our kids?" she asked.

"Well, Dave gets Scarlet tonight for the weekend and the rest we can get a babysitter for. I really want to go out to dinner with you alone and to a place that doesn't have a dancing mouse."

"It's a rat but I'll go with mouse," said Tessa. "I don't know. It's a little late to find a sitter for tonight. And with the way Zola has been carrying on lately. I don't know if that's a good idea."

"Zola will be fine. I know she will," said John.

"I think she has a problem and her therapy isn't helping. She's angry all the time. Angrier than what any 9 year old should be. I think you should get her more intensive help."

"Tess, she's gone through a lot in a year. She's getting better. Just let her be."

"She's getting better?" asked Tessa. "She cut a girl's hair off at school because she wouldn't give her an eraser. And you think that is okay?"

"I don't want to talk about it right now. I just want to know if you will have dinner with me tonight. I have a surprise for you."

"If you can find a sitter that Zola won't terrorize then yes I will have dinner with you. And I love surprises."

"Trust me this is a really big surprise. I think you'll love it. So just take a break from looking for houses and get ready for tonight. I promise you it won't disappoint."

"Okay," she said with a smile. She had to admit she was excited to actually go out to dinner with John alone. It hardly ever happened seeing as they both had kids and no one really wanted to baby-sit them because of Zola. She was hoping that John could get a sitter so she could enjoy a romantic evening alone with him.

"So we're definitely on for tonight?"

"Yeah," she said, "as long as you get a sitter."

"I already have one," he said with a smile. "I just wanted to hear you say yes before I made it official. I'll see you when I get home from work."

"I'll see you when you get home from work. I love you."

"I love you too. Have fun this afternoon and remember just relax and enjoy it stop house hunting."

"All right," she said. "Bye."

"Bye, Beautiful," he said with a smile before hanging up the phone. He looked down at the house deed in front of him and nodded. Tessa was definitely going to be surprised; surprised in many ways. He couldn't wait for their dinner to surprise her. He put the deed away, made reservations for two at Tessa's favorite Italian restaurant and then went back to work. It was going to be a great evening for the two of them and he was going to make sure of that.

Later that evening the babysitter arrived and John and Tessa were free to go except Zola was putting up a fit and trying every trick in the book to get her dad to stay home. She tried to say she was sick, she tried to tell him she was going to miss him and she begged him not to go but John wasn't giving in to her tricks. John told her he would be back later and she would have lots of fun with the sitter and then hurried out of the house with Tessa while Zola screamed. He wasn't sure why she screamed the way she did but she was doing worse than Zaiden and Zuri who had not cried one tear at John and Tessa leaving. John and Tessa got out to John's car and he opened the car door for her. "Thank-you," she said as she got in the car. She was very excited about that evening.

"You're welcome," he said with a smile. He gave her a quick kiss on the lips before shutting the door and walking over to the driver's side. He got in and started the car. "So are you ready for tonight?" he asked backing out of the driveway.

"Absolutely," said Tessa with a smile. "I've been ready all afternoon. I love the kids but I had to get out tonight."

"Me too," he said with a smile as he drove down the road.

"So what's my surprise?" she asked with an eagerness like a child would on Christmas morning.

"You have to wait," he said as he continued to drive. He took her hand and intertwined their fingers as he drove. He couldn't believe that it was almost a year that they had been together. Even though before Dave and Ryan they were together 16 years this time it felt more special. It felt more real. He was more in love with Tessa than he had ever been. IT was all strange to him but he wasn't going to question his love for Tessa. He was just glad that fate had brought them back together.

When they arrived at the restaurant John did not give up on his gentleman behavior. He got out of the car first and then walked over to Tessa's side to get her out of the car. He held the door open for her as they entered the restaurant and when they were seated he pulled out her chair for her. He ordered the best wine for them and when it came time to order he knew exactly what Tessa wanted and ordered it for her. She thought it was a nice touch that after all those years he still remembered her favorite Italian dish. "It amazes me that you still know me," said Tessa.

"Tess, I've known you all my life if I didn't' know you I would have a problem. I know so much about you. Do you still know me?"

"Not as much as I did but I remember the important things. The things that I love about you."

"What do you love about me?" he asked with a smile.

"Your determination, your persistence, how friendly you are and how romantic you are. I know that many see you as this big wrestler but you're actually a sweetheart. You love kids and you would take the shirt off your back to give to anyone in need. When you get nervous your eyes turn a lighter blue and when you're happy they're bluish grey."

"And what color are they when I'm in love with someone?"

"Deep blue," she said. "Like they are now."

"Because I am in love with you, Tessa. I have always been in love with you. I mean after all you're the only girl that I never thought had cooties when we were kids."

"I guess you were the only boy I didn't think had cooties. You were always my best friend no matter what."

"You were always mine. Do you remember that day we met?"

"Absolutely. You were outside playing football with your brothers when our moving van pulled up. You all looked over at us and when we were out of the van you wasted no time running over to me. You asked me if I wanted to play football with you guys. Of course I didn't want to but I thought your dimples were cute."

"You and my dimples," he said with a smile making his dimples appear. Tessa had always loved his dimples. She thought that he had the best smile ever and when he didn't win Best Smile in high school she thought he was robbed.

"They're cute," she said with a smile of her own.

"Just like your big glasses. You know the ones you had on the day I met you."

"Shut up. I hated those glasses. Contacts were the best thing ever invented."

"I don't know," said John. "I think I like you in glasses. You look sexier. You have that sexy smart look about you."

"Thank-you," she said as she blushed a little bit. She couldn't believe that after all these years John could still make her blush.

"Did you like that house?" he asked.

"My parents' house?"

"Yeah. Did you like it?"

"I loved it. It was a beautiful home. I don't think I've seen a home more beautiful than that. It's a really big home and it's perfect for raising a family. I always wished my parents had more kids because it was a big house and there were so many extra rooms that a baby brother or sister could have gone in but they didn't have anymore other than me. It's a really great home to raise a family which is why I don't know why it took so long for it to sell. It took almost a year and a half."

"You mean it's sold?" asked John.

"Yeah. The realtor called me today to tell me that someone finally put a bid on the house. It was the only one so the buyer automatically got it. I am grateful and I know he is too because that's a long time for a beautiful house to be on the market. I guess no one wants a family raising type of home anymore."

"Is that the kind of house you want? A house that you can raise your children in? A good family house?"

"Yeah," she said. "That's what I'm looking for. My parents' house was perfect for that but it's sold. I am sure eventually we'll find a house like that but that's what I want."

"Really?" he asked with a smile.

"Really," she said.

"I think I might have a house like that. I actually bought us a house."

"You bought us a house without consulting me first?"

"I didn't' think I needed to because I was pretty sure you'd love it."

"You don't know that," she said. "And what about schools in the area? Did you check those out?"

"Oh yeah. They are really good schools," he said pulling something out of his pocket. "Here it is what do you think?" he asked with a smile as he showed her the house.

Her eyes grew bigger as she looked at the picture in front of her. She saw the house she grew up in. The house she met John in. "You are the one that bought my parents' house?"

"Yeah," he said. "I knew how much you loved it and I thought it would be perfect for us plus it's right next door to my mom's house. One of the best babysitters we'll find in old West Newbury."

"Wow," she said. "I do love the house but it's in Mass. I have joint custody with Dave. I don't think he's going to like that."

"I will make sure I drive Scarlet down here every two weeks to see her father. It won't be a problem. I like the house."

"I love it," she said with tears in her eyes. "Thank-you."

"You're welcome," he said with a smile. He loved to see her so happy. "So you really want to move into it?"

"Absolutely," she said. "I'm sure some work needs to be done. But it's worth it. I think my parents would want it this way."

"I think so too. Well, we have a house."

"The perfect house," she said with a smile. She would never be able to thank him enough for buying that house. She had always felt bad for putting it on the market but now that it was her house again she lost that guiltiness she had been feeling since that day. It meant so much to her to be able to raise her kids in the same house she grew up in. She was definitely surprised but she was so happy that John actually bought this house…. There was no other house that compared.

***A/N: So what did you think? Please review and thank-you for taking the time to read. **


	5. Chapter 5

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much. **

A couple days later John and Tessa were still excited about their big move to West Newbury it was going to feel good for them to be back in home roots and able to raise their children in the same neighborhood they grew up in. Tessa and John went home that night after John's surprise and celebrated almost all night long by making love. It was good for them and they were hoping a new setting and a new house would help Zola with whatever problems she was facing. Although they weren't sure if the change would be bad or good; they were hoping good but they would have to wait and see.

John and Tessa were enjoying an afternoon with just Zaiden and Zuri while Zola and Zachary were at a friend's house playing and Scarlet was still with Dave. Tessa had just put the two younger kids down for a nap and went into the living room to watch some TV with John. "So are they asleep?" he asked.

"Yeah. As soon as they were in their cribs they were out. No nap time fight today."

"Yeah because they had us up at 4 this morning," said John. "I could use a nap. What about you?"

"Do you really mean a nap or something else?" asked Tessa with a smile.

"Hmm," he said, "I was thinking of something else," he said with a smile as he pulled Tessa over to him.

Tessa smiled and straddled his lap and said, "I figured that's what you meant." She leaned down and softly kissed his lips while cupping his head in her hands while John wrapped is arms around Tessa and softly rubbed her back as he kissed her back.

"What time is Scarlet coming back?" asked John as he broke the kiss.

"I don't know," said Tessa as she laid soft kisses on John's neck. "It doesn't matter. She's with her dad."

John let out a moan of pleasure as Tessa laid soft kisses on his neck. "And how long are Zaiden and Zuri going to be down for a nap?"

"We have enough time," said Tessa as she reached her hands up John's shirt and helped him out of it. "Trust me. We have enough time."

"Good," he said as he started to unbutton her blouse before she took it off and softly kissed his lips again as his hands wandered her body. "Let's go upstairs," he said as things heated up.

"Okay," she said with a smile as he picked her up to carry her up to the bedroom. He closed the door behind them and laid her down on the bed where he took his time to strip her down to nothing as he laid soft kisses all over her body. He soon had her out of her clothes and once she was out of her clothes he laid his body on top of Tessa's and kissed her lips passionately. Tessa ran her hands up and down John's back as they shared their passionate kiss. As John broke the kiss he sat up straddled over Tessa as she ran her hands over his firm chest and soon helped him out of his jeans followed by his boxers.

John reached over into the drawer next to Tessa's bed for a condom but couldn't' find any. "Tess, we have a problem," he said.

"What?" she asked as she sat up.

"We're out of condoms," he said.

"Are you serious?" she asked.

"Yeah. There are no more," he said.

"Then we're not doing anything else today," she said getting ready to get out of bed.

"Tess, come on, you can't be serious. You're just going to leave me hanging like this?" he asked.

"Um.. Yeah because the last time there were no condoms I thought I ended up with Zachary and right now I'm not trying to get pregnant so no condoms no sex, John."

"Tess, you know I have a problem. You don't think you're going to get pregnant that easily do you?" he asked.

"You never know, John. I don't' want to risk it."

"Tess, come on," he said as he softly kissed her neck and massaged her shoulders. "Please. We'll be fine. It's just one time. I promise."

Tessa couldn't resist and said, "All right, just this ONE time."

"Thanks," he said with a smile as he laid her down and laid his body on top of hers. He slowly entered her and began to make passionate love to her. He continued to make love to her until their passion reached its highest level and she climaxed. John could not hold back anymore and released himself inside of her groaning with pleasure. He softly kissed her lips and slowly removed his body from hers and laid down next to her. He took her in his arms and said, "that was amazing."

"It really was," she said with a smile as she took his hand with hers and intertwined their fingers. "I love you, John."

"I love you too," he said as he softly kissed her shoulder. "So you really don't want a baby?"

"I didn't say that, John. I do eventually. I told you last year I wanted one but this time I want to do everything right. I want to be married before I have a baby. I know it sounds old fashioned but that's how I want to do it this time. I want to be married before I get pregnant again."

"And what if it happens?" he asked.

"Then I guess it happens. Life is what it is, John. Things happen that we can't control. If it happens before I want it to then that means it's supposed to happen. Regardless of what I want it's going to happen when it's supposed to happen. Just like life. We always want something and we always plan something but life happens the way it wants to; not the way we want it to. Haven't you learned that yet?"

"I guess I have learned it," he said. "I don't know."

"That's how it always happens," she said as the doorbell rang. "Shit. What time is it?"

John grabbed his watch off the nightstand, looked at it and said, "3:30."

"That's Dave with Scarlet," said Tessa as she got out of bed. She hurried to pick up her pants and underwear to put them on so she could go answer the door. She grabbed her bra off the floor and hurried downstairs while John got his boxers on. Tessa grabbed her blouse from the living room and buttoned it on her way to the door. She quickly opened the door and said, "Hey, sorry about that I was busy…"

"Yeah," said Dave as he saw John walking down the stairs in his jeans without a shirt. "I bet you were. Scarlet, why don't you go ahead in and play while I talk to your mom."

"Okay, Daddy," she said. "I love you, Daddy."

"I love you too, Scarlet," he said as he got down to hug her and gave her a kiss. "Remember what I said if you need anything you can call me and I will be here."

"Okay, Daddy," she said, "bye."

"Bye, Scarlet," he said as he watched her run up the stairs. "So sexing up Romeo before you got your daughter back. Nice, Tessa. Real nice."

"What business is it of yours?" she asked as she pulled her hair up in a messy bun. "We're not together anymore. You left me remember?"

"Yeah. I know," he said. "So was it good? Must have been because your blouse is buttoned wrong.. Got you all flustered."

"Shut up," she said as she fixed her blouse not caring that Dave was standing in front of her. "Why are you still here?"

"Because I wanted to talk to you about something," he said as he tried not to watch her fix her blouse but his eyes were drawn to her body. She still had a hot body 3 kids later in his eyes. He could not stop staring at her breasts.

"Dave, are you done staring yet?"

"Yeah.. Sorry.. I…"

"Yeah.. I know," she said, "I wanted to tell you something."

"You can go first," he said, "but is Zola living here?"

"Yeah.. John and the kids moved in and we're moving soon."

"Where are you moving to?" he asked.

"Don't get upset but we're moving back home."

"Back home as in?"

"West Newbury," she said.

"That's not going to work for me," he said. "I'm saying no. You can't take Scarlet out of this state. I have visitation with her."

"I know and John and me will make sure that she gets down here every other weekend to see you but we want to be closer to John's parents and I want to be back home."

"Where in West Newbury are you moving?"

"We're moving into my parents' house. John bought it for us."

"Nice touch by Romeo," he said with a smirk. "Anyway, I don't think this whole living together thing is good for Scarlet."

"Why? You live with your girlfriend," said Tessa as she was starting to lose her patience.

"But she doesn't have kids."

"So what? I have kids and John has kids. What's the big deal, Dave? Is this another one of your issues that you have against me being happy?"

"It's not that but if you weren't so busy having sex with Romeo you might have the time to notice that things aren't right with our daughter."

"Things are fine with Scarlet," said Tessa, "what are you talking about?"

"Right because the child has bruises all over her but things are fine," said Dave.

"She's a child. She falls," said Tessa. "Kids get bruises."

"I know kids get bruises but have you seen her bruises? It looks like she's been grabbed and hit."

"Dave, you know she bruises easily. Why are you talking about it for?"

"Unbelievable, Tess. I'm trying to open your eyes to something but all you're doing is making excuses. That is my daughter and I'm not going to let her get hurt."

"Dave, what are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about John's kid beating up on our daughter, Tessa."

"Zola does not beat up on Scarlet. Scarlet falls a lot and bumps into things a lot. Zola is not beating her up."

"Well, I'm going by what our daughter told me. She told me that Zola plays games with her that cause her to hurt because Zola likes to make her cry."

"Dave, that's ridiculous. Scarlet never told me this."

"Because she's scared, Tessa. You need to pay better attention to our daughter."

"I do," she said.

"No, Tessa, because if you did you would notice something isn't right. Zola is beating up on Scarlet and it needs to stop or I'm going to come here and beating up on Romeo and I will take Scarlet from you in a second."

"Dave, I think you're being ridiculous. Zola is not hurting Scarlet," she said but she wasn't so sure. Scarlet did always seem to get hurt when she was alone with Zola. Maybe she was hurting her but she wasn't sure.

"Damn it, Tess, I'm telling you she is. Be more observant and you will see. Scarlet is scared to death of her and I mean it if it doesn't stop I will take Scarlet from you."

"Okay," she said, "I'll observe it more closely. Is that what you want?"

"I want you to love our child," he said.

"I do love our child don't try to say I don't love her."

"Then stop being a bitch, Tessa and look at the problem. Stop making excuses and face the problem. Fix it by doing whatever you need to do because Scarlet isn't a punching bag unless you want me to teach Scarlet how to fight like a Batista.."

"No need for that," she said. "I will keep an eye on the situation."

"Thank-you," he said.

"You're welcome," she said. "Goodbye, Dave."

"Goodbye," he said turning away. He started walking away and turned back to say, "by the way you're still as hot as you were when I took you from John the first time. It's a shame you cheated on me because…. never mind"

"Good bye," she said shutting the door. She locked it and walked into the living room where John was watching ESPN.

"What took him so long to leave?" he asked.

"Apparently Zola has been beating up on Scarlet and he's upset about it."

"That's ridiculous," he said. "Zola isn't hurting her."

"I don't know, John," she said sitting down next to him. "Sometimes I wonder."

"Tessa, it's Dave playing games with you. Zola is not hurting Scarlet. If she was I'm sure Scarlet would have said something."

"I guess," she said but she wasn't confident in her answer. She wasn't sure what to believe. Scarlet never came to her directly to tell her about Zola so she had no idea if Dave was telling the truth or not. She hoped it was a lie but if it wasn't something needed to be done. The only thing she could do was observe the situation but it's not like Zola was going to pound on Scarlet in front of Tessa's eyes so she needed to figure something out.

***A/N: So what did you think? Please review and thank-you for taking the time to read. **


	6. Chapter 6

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. THank-you all so much. **

Tessa sat for a while watching ESPN with John at least it seemed like she was watching ESPN but she was actually thinking about what Dave had told her about Zola. She wasn't sure if she believed him or not because he had been known to make up lies to get Tessa all upset and worked up. Tessa was torn because part of her believed it was happening while the other part of her thought it was a lie from Dave. She decided to go upstairs to talk to Scarlet herself to see if she would tell her anything. She got up to go upstairs and John said, "Where are you going?"

"To talk to Scarlet," she said.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she said. "I just want to ask her about the stuff Dave was telling me about."

"Tessa, you don't believe that Zola would really beat up on Scarlet do you? That's just Dave making up stories to get you to stop living with me. That's what it's all about."

"John, I don't know. I don't think Dave would make something up about that. I'm going to talk to Scarlet to see if she will say something to me."

"You're wasting your time," he said, "you know how Dave is. I don't know why you continue to believe his lies."

"I want to go talk to my daughter. I will be back," she said as she started for the stairs. She wanted to talk to Scarlet no matter if it was a lie or not. She didn't want to be the mom that her child was scared to come to her to tell her if someone was hurting her. She didn't want that. She wanted Scarlet to trust her so she was going to do the right thing and talk to her to get her story. She walked to Scarlet's room and knocked on the closed door.

"Who is it?" she asked.

"It's me," said Tessa. "Can I come in?"

"Yeah," she said opening the door allowing her mom to come in. "I thought I would see you."

"Yeah," said Tessa walking in to sit down on Scarlet's bed that was decorated in a Disney Princess theme. "So what are you doing?"

"Nothing. Just coloring," she said going back to coloring in her Hello Kitty coloring book.

"That's a pretty picture," said Tessa.

"Thank-you," she said.

"So Scarlet, what's going on?" asked Tessa. "I talked to your dad and he seems concerned that someone is hurting you. Is someone hurting you?"

Scarlet stopped coloring for a minute to think about Zola and her threats to her if she told the truth to Tessa. She had threatened to hurt Tessa really bad if Scarlet told on her. Scarlet couldn't let her mom get hurt so she said, "I was just kidding with Daddy. Zola doesn't hurt me."

"Scarlet, are you sure because Daddy seemed pretty serious. You can tell me the truth is Zola hurting you?"

"No mommy," she said. "She isn't hurting me."

"Then where did you get all those bruises?" asked Tessa.

"I told you. I fell, Mommy. That's what happened."

"Let me see them," said Tessa.

"Okay," said Scarlet rolling up her sleeve to expose the bruises to Tessa. "See?"

"It looks like someone punched you and someone grabbed you. What happened?"

"I fell, Mommy," she said. She was not going to tell the truth because she didn't want Tessa to be hurt. She loved her mom and she was going to do everything to protect her even if it meant lying and getting beat up by Zola.

"Are you sure? Because you can tell me anything," said Tessa once again. She really wanted her little girl to talk to her but it seemed like Scarlet was putting up a wall. There was something in Scarlet's voice that told Tessa that she was lying about the entire thing.

"Yes, Mommy. I'm sure."

"Okay," said Tessa, "but I want you to know I don't want you to hide things from me. You don't have to lie. You can always tell me the truth no matter what. You won't get in trouble as long as you tell me the truth so make sure you're telling me the truth."

"Mommy, I am. Can you go now. I'm trying to color."

"All right," said Tessa, "but just remember you can come to me about anything."

"All right, Bye, Mommy," she said.

"Bye," said Tessa as she got up and walked over to the door. She did not feel good about that conversation at all. She knew Scarlet was lying but she wasn't sure why. She wasn't sure if she was scared or what. She just wanted her baby girl to talk to her but Scarlet wasn't budging. She knew she had to keep a better eye on things between Zola and Scarlet.

Tessa made her way downstairs to see that Zola and Zachary had returned from their friends house and they were playing in the living room. "So," said John, "anything?"

"She said everything is fine," she said.

"See? I told you. It's just Dave making up lies."

"I don't know," said Tessa, "something isn't right with her."

"Now see? Dave has you freaking out for no reason," said John. "Just relax. We had a relaxing afternoon and now you're all worked up. Just calm down."

"I will when my baby stops lying to me," she said.

"Lying about what?" asked Zola innocently.

"Nothing," said Tessa.

"Oh okay," she said, "where's Scarlet?"

"Taking a nap," said Tessa quickly under no circumstances did she want Zola alone with Scarlet.

"Oh," she said.

Later that evening after dinner John and Tessa decided to sit the kids down to tell them the news about moving to West Newbury. It was the first time they were telling them because they wanted to wait a couple days for Scarlet to come home so she could be included in the announcement. John sat the kids down in the living room and Zachary said, "What's going on?"

"We have an announcement to make," said Tessa with a smile.

"You're having a baby!" yelled Scarlet. She seemed very excited about that. She had been asking for a baby brother and baby sister for a while ever since Tessa was the surrogate for John and Ryan. It just hadn't happened yet.

"No," said Tessa, "no baby here and that won't be a for a while."

"So you two are having a baby?" asked Zola.

"One day," said John, "but not now."

"You're getting married?" asked Zachary.

"No," said John with a smile, "but that would be fun."

"My divorce isn't final yet," said Tessa. "I'm still married."

"Then why are you with my dad?" asked Zola. "Isn't it bad to be with another man if you're married. My mom taught me that."

"Only if you have no intention of getting divorced. My divorce papers are signed and they are going through the court. It won't be long until I'm no longer married."

"Great," said Zola. "I'm thrilled."

"Attitude," said John giving Zola a warning look causing her to sit quietly.

"So what's the announcement?" asked Scarlet eagerly.

"Well," said John with a smile, "we're moving!"

"Moving?" asked Zola.

"Yep we're moving," said John.

"Where?" asked Zachary.

"That's the other part of the surprise," said John, "we're moving next door to Grandma and Grandpa!"

"Grandma and Grandpa!" yelled Zachary. "Cool!"

"My grandma and Grandpa are in Heaven," said Scarlet sadly.

"We're moving into your Grandma's and Grandpa's house," said Tessa.

"Cool," said Scarlet, "but I still wish they weren't in Heaven and they were here."

"Same here," said Tessa, "but John's parents can be your grandma and grandpa too."

"But it's not the same," said Scarlet.

"Wait," said Zola, "we're moving to West Newbury?"

"Yes," said John.

"So you're taking me away from my friends for her?" asked Zola.

"I'm taking you away from your friends so we have a bigger house and so that I can be closer to my parents."

"No it's for her," said Zola.

"It's for all of us," said John.

"Whatever," said Zola.

"Zola, how old are you?" asked Tessa.

"9," she said.

"And what gives you the right to think you can talk to adults the way you do? Are you not a child?" she asked. Usually she didn't reprimand Zola but she had enough of her attitude and John never seemed to correct her or address it.

"You're not my mother," said Zola.

"I know," said Tessa, "but I am an adult and you need to respect me."

"You're still not my mom and you never will be," said Zola.

"If I was your mother you wouldn't be talking to me the way you do because you would be punished."

"You can't punish me."

"I can," said Tessa, "and if you keep up your attitude I will."

"All right, Tessa," said John, "she is just upset right now. It's okay."

"It's okay?" asked Tessa. "It is never okay to disrespect an adult."

"I will handle her," said John, "she is my daughter. I will reprimand her."

"Then do it instead of letting her run this house. You never punish her. You let her do whatever she wants."

"Tessa, I do not. She is a troubled child. She lost her mother a year ago. This is all new for her."

"Here we are with the excuses again," said Tessa, "that is all you do with her is make excuses. For once be a father and punish her. It might make a change in her."

"I don't tell you how to parent so don't tell me," he said.

"You know what since you know so much about being a parent more than me go right ahead and be a parent. I am going out to get air. Enjoy yourself," she said going to get her jacket.

John followed her to the door and said, "where are you going?"

"To get some air. I can't deal with this right now. I need time to think."

"Tessa, it's late."

"I don't care. I want to get out of this house for an hour to clear my head. I will be back. Bye," she didn't hesitate as she walked out the door.

John was so upset that he went upstairs with Zuri and Zaiden to give them a bath leaving the other children downstairs. He was upset that Tessa just left because she didn't get what she wanted. While he was giving the kids a bath Zachary went upstairs to his room to play with legos leaving Zola and Scarlet alone. Scarlet walked up to her room only to be followed by Zola something she did not want. She didn't want to play with Zola so she ran to her room and tried to shut Zola out but Zola made her way into the room anyway shutting the door behind her. "Get out," said Scarlet.

"I only want to play," said Zola.

"No. Get out," said Scarlet. "I don't want to play."

"Please. I have a fun game," she said.

"No," said Scarlet.

"Come on, it's a fun game let's play…."

***A/N: So what did you think? Please review and thank you for taking hte time to read. **


	7. Chapter 7

***THank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. THey were greatly appreciated. thank-you all so much. **

John was in the middle of giving Zuri and Zaiden a bath, Zachary was in the middle of playing with his legos when they both heard the screams from Scarlet. John was unable to get to her as he heard her yell, "NO! STOP! JOHN! HELP!" He couldn't leave the little kids alone in the tub so the screams kept up until Zachary dropped his legos at the screams of his little sister.

Zachary ran into the bedroom to see Zola hitting poor Scarlet in the back with a belt. "What are you doing?" yelled Zachary. "Stop it now!"

"We're playing a game," said Zola as she dropped the belt.

"You're hurting her," said Zachary as he started to walk over to her.

"Stop. Leave her alone," said Zola.

"Or what?" asked Zachary, "I'm not scared of you. Why don't you hit me with a belt and see what I do."

"Leave her alone," she said again as Zachary helped her up off the ground.

"She is MY sister," said Zachary. "Are you okay?"

"I want Mommy," she said as she cried. "I want mommy."

"It's okay," said Zachary, "let's go to my room." He started to walk passed Zola, stopped and said, "if you ever hurt my sister again I am going to hurt you. Got it?" he asked. Zachary had always thought himself to be Scarlet's protector. They were only a little over a year apart in age so he thought it would always be his job to protect her and that's just what he was doing.

"Don't threaten me, Zachary," she said full of haste as he walked out of the room with Scarlet as she cried. Zola was irate as she stormed out of Scarlet's room and went into her room. She hated Scarlet, she hated Zachary, she hated Zaiden and she hated Tessa. She just wanted them all to disappear and wanted it to only be John, Zuri and herself. She even wanted her mom back. She wanted them to be a family not the way it was now.

John finally took the kids out of the bathtub and got them into their pajamas. It took him 15 minutes to go check on Scarlet to see what happened to her. He walked into Scarlet's room and didn't see her so he went to Zachary's room. "Zachary do you kn…" he started to say as he stopped when he saw the bruises forming on Scarlet's back and said, "Oh my God. What happened?"

"If you would have came," said Zachary, "you would have seen Zola hitting Scarlet with a belt."

"Zola did that to you?" asked John.

"No," said Scarlet with the fear of upsetting Zola more. She had already upset her once. She didn't want to do it again. She also didn't want anything to happen to her mom either.

"Scarlet, tell him the truth. Tell him Zola hit you with the belt," he said.

"Scarlet," said John, "did Zola hit you with the belt."

"I don't know," said Scarlet as she looked at both of them. She didn't know what to say. "It hurts! I want my mommy!"

"Your mommy went out for a little bit," said John, "she'll be back and she's going to kill me."

"Yes she is," said Zachary. "Why didn't you come?"

"I couldn't leave the kids alone in the tub," he said.

"I could have watched them like I did for my mom before. You should have came. Zola did this, Dad. She hit her with a belt."

"Scarlet is that true? Did Zola hit you with the belt?" asked John.

"She isn't going to tell you because she's scared of Zola. Do something!"

"I can't do anything unless I know it's true," said John.

"You're ridiculous, Dad," said Zachary as he got up to leave the room.

"Where are you going?" asked John.

"To call my mom so she can come home and do what you didn't do," he said as he left the room to go downstairs to call Tessa so she could come home. As he reached the stairs Zola was standing there trying not to let him go down. "Get out of my way," he said.

"No," she said.

"Get out of my way," he said. "I'm not scared to push you if you don't' move. Move."

"No," said Zola.

"Fine," said Zachary as he pushed her out of the way causing her to lose her footing. She managed to fall down the stairs as Zachary ran to get the phone to call his mom. Zola managed to get herself up off the ground and ran to her dad as Zachary called Tessa.

Before Zachary could speak to Tessa John called him upstairs middle name and all. "Zachary Ryder! Get up here right now!" He sighed and hung up the phone on his mom to go upstairs. He knew he was in trouble and sure enough John sent him to his room for pushing Zola down the stairs. John did not even give him a chance to explain the situation. Zachary went to his room like asked while Zola went to her room to lay down.

John took Scarlet downstairs to get her some ice on her back because the welts were bruising into pinkish, purple marks on her back. He needed to get something on them before Tessa got home. It was almost too late as he had Scarlet sitting on the island with her shirt up exposing the bruise. He was getting the ice out when Tessa walked into the house. She was in a panic because Zachary called her but hung up on her. "John!" she yelled.

"I'm in the kitchen," said John as he handed Scarlet a bag of ice to put on her back.

Tessa rushed into the kitchen and said, "what happened?"

"There was a little accident," said John. "I took care of it and it's all good."

"What happened to Scarlet's back?" She asked as she looked at the bruises forming.

"I don't' know. She was screaming but I couldn't get to her," said John.

"Scarlet, what happened?"

"I don't know," she said quietly.

"Zachary said that Zola hit her with the belt but Scarlet said she didn't."

"Then she is obviously lying, John. Where the hell were you when my daughter was being beaten with a belt? Why didn't you go instead of Zachary? You are the adult correct?"

"I had Zuri and Zaiden in the tub," he said. "I couldn't leave them."

"I don't care. Then you get Zachary to watch them and you go find out what's going on. You're the adult. Do your fucking job as a parent," said Tessa. She was beyond upset. She felt that John neglected the entire situation. "You should have done something."

"I'm sorry," said John.

"You're sorry?" asked Tessa, "Look at my daughter's back. Are you going to explain that to Dave? Are you going to explain that to my lawyer and to Dave's lawyer?"

"It's not that serious," said John.

"It's not that serious?" asked Tessa, "look at her back. Your daughter brutalized my daughter with a belt. What's it going to be next time?"

"Tessa, calm down," said John. "It's fine."

"It is not fine," she said. "Look at it. Where is she? Where is Zola?"

"She's upstairs," said John.

"All right," said Tessa as she started to storm up the backstairs.

"Where are you going?" asked John.

"To spank her ass since you aren't doing anything about it. She needs an ass spanking and she's going to get one. She's not going to get away with whipping my daughter with a belt," said Tessa.

"Leave her alone. I will handle it," said John, "she is hurt right now."

"What happened to her?"

"Zachary pushed her down the stairs," said John. "She's hurt."

"Big deal. So is my daughter she is going to be punished," said Tessa.

"Mommy, no," said Scarlet. "Don't. I'm okay."

"Scarlet, she hit you with a belt. She needs to be punished."

"I told her to, Mommy. Don't punish her," said Scarlet. She had to make up some type of lie to save her mom. She didn't want Zola to get angrier so she needed to tell a lie. She felt bad about doing it but she had to.

"See," said John, "Scarlet told her to do it."

"Shut up," said Tessa looking at John. "It shouldn't have happened. If you had been watching them like you were supposed to it wouldn't have happened."

"No. I was giving the younger kids a bath. I am one person. If you wouldn't have stormed out of here in a selfish rage then there would have been two sets of eyes and it wouldn't have happened."

"If you would punish your child there wouldn't be an issue to piss me off causing me to leave."

"Tessa, do you understand she has problems?"

"That's always the excuse," said Tessa. "Look at Scarlet's back," she said picking Scarlet up off the island, "but I guess that doesn't matter because Zola has problems."

"Tessa, she does have problems. You know that. She's been going to a therapist for a year."

"And it's not helping," said Tessa. "One day a week isn't helping."

"Well then I will talk to him about more intensive therapy and send her 2-3 days a week. Does that work for you?"

"What would work for me is if you could control your daughter. I don't know. Maybe I was crazy for thinking this could work again. Maybe I was crazy for thinking that we could live together. Maybe it was crazy. It's not working obviously."

"Tess, don't talk like that," said John. "Everything will be okay."

"When, John? When my daughter is dead because of your daughter's problems? Get her more help or get out," said Tessa.

"Tess, you don't mean that."

"I do.. So if you want to live with me and you want Zola to be here I suggest you get her the help that she needs. I will not sacrifice my children for anything do you understand that?" She asked.

"I understand," he said, "so are we good?"

"You're funny if you think you're sleeping with me tonight. I'll bring you a blanket down later for the couch. So go get comfortable."

"Tess," he said.

"Goodnight," said Tessa as she went upstairs to put Scarlet to bed leaving John in the kitchen by himself. Tessa didn't want things to be tense between her and John but she was not willing to sacrifice her children for some man. Her children meant everything to her and if Zola didn't change then there was no way her relationship with John would work out.

***A/N: So what did you think? Please review and thank-you for taking the time to read. **


	8. Chapter 8

***THank-you for the reviews on the last chapter they were greatly appreciated. THank-you all so much. **

Over the next two weeks things remained tense between John and Tessa because of everything with Zola. Tessa thought that John was way too lenient about the entire situation. He was failing to see that Zola had a lot of problems, problems that were too big for her therapist to help with. Zola needed more extensive help. She needed some type of rehab or something to help her through her aggression. Tessa would not allow Zola alone with Scarlet under any circumstances and if Tessa had to go somewhere she took Scarlet with her so that she knew that she was safe. She was taking no chances. John thought the problem would be fixed because Zola was seeing her therapist 3 times a week but he wouldn't let them medicate her. That was another argument Tessa and John had been having lately. Tessa thought that medicine would help but John didn't want to medicate an 8 year old. He didn't want to do anything is how it seemed to Tessa.

It was Sunday afternoon and Tessa was waiting anxiously for Dave to return with Scarlet. She knew that she would be in for it because when she sent Scarlet to his house she still had the bruises from being hit with the belt. She knew it wasn't going to be a good meeting. Her heart stopped when she heard the doorbell. John was in the kitchen washing the dishes and Tessa went to answer the door. She opened the door to see Dave standing there and he did not look happy. "Hey, Dave," said Tessa.

"A fucking belt, Tessa? A fucking belt? And you did nothing about it?"

"Dave, I wasn't home," she said as Scarlet ran into the house knowing her father was upset. She didn't even stop to kiss him goodbye. "When I came home it had happened. I don't know what happened all I know is Scarlet was hit with the belt."

"My daughter is not a whipping post, Tess. I told my lawyer and I'm suing for custody before something happens to her. She has to have one parent that cares."

"I do care, Dave. And you don't have to sue for custody. Anytime I leave Scarlet comes with me and she's not allowed alone with Zola under any circumstances."

"Like that's going to keep her safe. You have that psycho living in this house."

"She is a little girl, Dave," said Tessa.

"You don't think little girls can't be psychos?"

"All right she is a little psycho," said Tessa.

"A little? She's a lot psycho," said Dave. "Tessa, I'm not playing around anymore. This is not a safe environment for Scarlet. I think she would be safer with me."

"You're not taking her from me," said Tessa.

"I'm sure a judge would be in my favor after hearing how my child gets beat up in the home and whipped with belts. I am sure that any judge would act in the best interest of the child."

"Why do you have to do this, Dave?" asked Tessa. She didn't want to lose Scarlet because of Zola.

"Because I love my daughter and I want her to be safe."

"Dave, she is safe. I promise she won't get hurt again."

"And I'm supposed to believe that?" he asked.

"Yes," said Tessa.

"Whatever, Tessa. I am giving you one last chance if ONE more thing happens just ONE more. I don't care if it's a little shove; I don't care I WILL have my lawyer on the phone in a minute and I will be suing your ass for custody. Don't think I won't do it."

"I know you will," said Tessa. "I know you will."

"Good," he said. "Where is Romeo? I want to talk to him."

"Talk to him or fight with him?" asked Tessa.

"Talk to him. I want him to understand that if his daughter touches my daughter one more time I'm going to kick his ass for not having control over her."

"Dave, don't do that. It's not worth it," said Tessa.

"You would stick up for him."

"I'm not sticking up for anyone. I agree with you he doesn't control his daughter but it's not worth you getting worked up over and fighting for something stupid."

"If you agree then why don't you kick him out?"

"Because I love him," said Tessa. "I want to live with him. I want him to put Zola somewhere but he won't do it because he thinks she needs to be with her family."

"She's kicking her family's ass," said Dave. "If you're not careful she's going to come after you next. That's why Scarlet won't tell you about Zola because she's scared that Zola is going to hurt you."

"Really?" asked Tessa. She wasn't really shocked that Zola had it out for her because she knew she wasn't Zola's favorite person.

"Really, whatever that psycho did to Scarlet she's scared to death of her and she doesn't want anything to happen to you. She loves you, Tessa. You should show you love her and get that girl out of here."

"I'm working on it," said Tessa.

"Then ask Romeo to leave. Is a man more important than your child?"

"No," said Tessa.

"Then do what you need to do. You need to leave John to let your child be safe."

"Dave, stay out of my relationship," said Tessa.

"Just what I thought," he said.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing," he said. "Where's Romeo?"

"In the kitchen but first we're having Zachary's party in two weeks. I wanted to invite you to his party."

"I'm not his father," he said.

"Dave, he specifically asked if you could come. He wants you here. You may not be his biological father but you were his father for 7 years. He loves you, Dave."

"Tess, he's not my kid."

"So you're really going to turn your back on a boy that you raised since he was a baby?"

"Tess, look I've spent the last year trying to get over the fact that Zachary wasn't my son. I love that little boy but the more I stay away from him the better it is for both of us."

"Dave," said Tessa. "It means a lot to him for you to be there."

"Tess, I said no."

"Dave, please."

"Tess, it's not his fault his mom whored around. I'm not his father."

"Dave, if I remember correctly it was a mutual decision to have an affair. You and me both agreed to having sex and to do so behind John's back. Don't put the blame on me."

"I didn't force you to do anything."

"I didn't say you did. I was just saying that we made the decision together," said Tessa.

"I know," he said. "Look. I'm not coming."

"Dave, please.. For Zachary. You know you're still his dad at heart. He still loves you and it's killing him that you never visit him or talk to him or play with him. You are as much his dad as John is."

"Tess, I don't know. I'll think about it," he said. The truth his he loved Zachary. He always had but his heart was so broken from the paternity test after 7 years coming back that he wasn't his father that he thought it was better for both of them if he stayed away. He didn't want to confuse Zachary any more than he already was. As much as he wanted to take Zachary for the weekend like he took Scarlet he couldn't. He always dreamed of playing baseball with Zachary and playing football with him. He always dreamed of showing him the ropes when it came to wrestling. He wanted the best for Zachary, he still did but it was tough for him to be his father one day and the next to have it all ripped away. Dave wasn't sure anymore if he was protecting himself or if he was protecting Zachary. It was a mystery to him. Dave had been there for 7 years. He was there for every midnight feeding, every diaper change, the nights him and Tessa dealt with teething and got no sleep whatsoever, he was there the day he was born, he held him within minutes of his birth. It was Dave that was there when he learned to crawl, walk, talk, feed himself with a spoon. Dave was there for 7 years; he was his dad for 7 years, he was the person Zachary called Dada it was him not John. IT was a tough situation for Dave. He had done so much for Zachary only for it all to be taken away. Zachary Ryder Montgomery-Batista was his name at birth but Zachary no longer carried the last name Batista. John had it changed shortly after the results came back.. He was now Zachary Ryder Montgomery-Cena. That hurt him the most. He wasn't sure if he could go to a birthday party and watch Zachary turn 8 while being reminded of everything he had done and how everything he had done didn't matter because he wasn't his father. He wasn't sure if it was possible to go. He had to think about it but right now all he wanted was to talk to John about Zola and how she was beating up on Scarlet. "Can you get Romeo?"

"John," said Tessa. "Someone is at the door for you."

"I'll be there in a second," said John from the kitchen.

"Be nice," said Tessa to Dave before John appeared.

"What do you want?" asked John.

"I wanted to tell you to tell your daughter to keep her hands off my daughter. I don't know what kind of child you're trying to raise but you have no control over her. She needs guidance and obviously you're not giving it to her."

"My daughter's mom died a year ago. How would you feel if you lost a parent? That's right you never had parents growing up. You were a scoundrel on the streets," said John going straight to nasty.

"John," said Tessa. "That was uncalled for."

"Tessa, stay out of it," he said.

"No," she said. "That was wrong. I don't have parents. Does that make me a scoundrel?"

"No because you had parents to raise you."

"My mom raised me," said Dave. "And she raised me to be the father that protects their child. She taught me how to be a parent something yours obviously didn't teach you. My mom whooped my ass if I even thought about stepping over the line. My mom whooped my ass if I ever thought about disrespecting her. I got my ass whooped. She kept my ass in line and I didn't go around beating up on poor little girls. You need to whoop your daughter's ass and get control of her. She's 9 now so just think about what she's going to be like in 3 years. When you see her on Maury because she's an out of control kid because she's beating you up or Tessa up don't say I didn't warn you."

"Her mother died," said John.

"That's not an excuse. My father walked out on me when I was a baby and I didn't grow up thinking I owned the world because my mom whooped my ass and she did it with a belt. I got my ass beat. I knew, John, I knew. If you punished your kid she would know too."

Tessa wasn't saying anything because John and Dave both had really bad tempers. She wasn't sure how good this was going to turn out. She could already see Dave losing his temper and she could see John losing his. "I'm sorry that your father didn't want to raise something like you."

"Something like me?" asked Dave. "Something like me? What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know what it means," said John. "You're trash. You come from trash. What Tessa ever saw in you I don't know but I'm glad Scarlet didn't inherit any of your traits."

"I wish she would have inherited how to whoop ass so that she could kick Zola's ass for beating her up all the time. And I'm sorry I didn't grow up in West Newbury in the quiet suburb with a mom and a dad. I'm sorry I didn't have money. I'm sorry that there were times my sister and me didn't eat because we didn't have enough money for food. I'm sorry that my family isn't as good as yours. I'm sorry we're not up to the oh so mighty Cena standards but my family had plenty of love. It may not have been the best life but it was a life and now I'm living the life and taking care of my mom after all the years she took care of me. So DON'T call my family trash," said Dave.

"Or what?" asked John bulking up against Dave. Tessa wasn't sure if it was testosterone or just them being idiots but they were in each other's faces. "What are you going to do about it?"

"The same thing you did to me when I told you that I fucked Tessa behind your back in that street fight. Remember?" asked Dave. "I will show you what the streets are like, Romeo."

"Bring it. Show me how your TRASH lifestyle is," said John instigating him. John was deliberately adding fuel to the fire to piss Dave off. Tessa knew how much Dave's mom meant to him and how much he loved her. She knew that Dave was not going to let John's remarks go lightly.

"John, that's enough," said Tessa.

"Shut up, Tessa and stay out of it," said John.

"Don't tell her to shut up," said Dave before Tessa could defend herself. "You never change, Romeo. You never change."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked John as Dave turned to walk away. John wasn't worth fighting with.

"Exactly what I said. You never change. You're still the same dick you were when Tessa left you for me. Just remember how you treated her like shit and she went to someone else. If you don't watch your step she might do it again."

"Fuck you, Batista," said John.

"Whatever, Cena," he said.

"Walk away like the trash you are. Your mom raised you to be trash and nothing else," said John. It only took 3 seconds for Dave to turn around and get back in John's face.

"Keep my mom out of your mouth," said Dave.

"I'm going to be sick," said Tessa as she suddenly felt sick. She all of a sudden had a feeling of wanting to throw up.

"Tessa, knock it off," said John.

"I'm going to be sick," said Tessa.

"Look at you," said Dave shaking his head. "Not even worth it."

He turned to walk away and John couldn't stop and said, "tell your mom I said hi." It took Dave one second this time to turn around and deck John in the mouth.

"Trash," said John with a smirk before he was hit again in the mouth.

And just as Dave hit John the second time Tessa's sickness finally made it's way out of her and she threw up on John. "Shit," said Dave with a smile. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," said Tessa. "I will talk to you about getting Scarlet. I have to go upstairs I still feel sick. Goodnight."

"Bye," said Dave as Tessa went upstairs leaving John holding his jaw after being hit by Dave. Dave shook his head and said, "you never learn," and walked away. John managed to slam the door shut and locked it. He was upset about everything and he was going to go talk to Tessa but AFTER he cleaned himself up….

***A/N: So what did you think? please review and thank-you for taking the time to read. **


	9. Chapter 9

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much. **

John went upstairs to clean up his mouth. He was bleeding from Dave's punch to the mouth. He had to make sure his teeth were still in tact because Dave did deliver a hard hit. When he got upstairs he found Tessa in the bathroom throwing up in the toilet. He paid no mind to her as he cleaned up his mouth. "I'm going to get some ice for my mouth," he said angrily.

"Whatev…" Tessa started to say before she began throwing up again and John left the room to head downstairs to get some ice for his mouth. Tessa finished throwing up and cleaned herself up, rinsed out her mouth, brushed her teeth and put some cold water on her face. She looked in the mirror and she looked like crap. "Ugh. I look horrible," she said to herself. She walked into the bedroom and got out a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt to put on. All she wanted to do was go to bed and get some rest because she was feeling nauseous. She crawled into bed shortly after changing her clothes and as she got comfortable John came in the room.

"What are you doing, Tess?" he asked.

"I'm going to bed. I don't feel well," she answered laying down with her eyes closed.

"What the hell was that with Dave?" he asked.

"I don't know. What are you talking about?" she asked annoyed.

"You just stood by and let him hit me," he said.

"Well, you did kind of ask for it."

"How so?" asked John. "I didn't do anything."

"Maybe you and me saw two different actions but from what I saw you asked for it. You kept calling Dave trash and you called his mother trash."

"His family is trash, Tess," he said.

"My daughter is his family are you calling her trash?" she asked as she opened her eyes and sat up. She knew that she wasn't going to get any sleep till they were done discussing what happened between him and Dave.

"No. I'm not calling her trash," he said. "I would never call Scarlet trash."

"Well, you said his family was trash and my daughter is his daughter so you're basically calling her trash."

"And you're taking it out of context, Tess."

"No.. I'm taking what you said and asking you a question," she said. "You said his family was trash, my daughter is his family so basically you're calling her trash."

"Tess, you're over exaggerating," he said. "Dave is trash. He comes from trash."

"Dave isn't trash, John. He's a good guy. Don't call him trash."

"Still standing up for him, Tess, I see," he said. "I am your boyfriend and you didn't' stand up for me at all."

"John, you told me to shut up and stay out of it. And I'm not standing up for anyone. Dave is the father of my daughter.. I would prefer if you didn't call him trash or bad mouth him."

"Like he doesn't bad mouth you," said John.

"Whether he does or doesn't I would prefer if you didn't bad mouth my daughter's father," said Tessa, "and I would also prefer if you didn't tell me to shut up. You have no right to tell me to shut up."

"You were butting in," said John.

"So you want me to stand up for you and then you don't want me to butt in? Make up your mind, Cena," she said. "And I REALLY don't want to talk about this. I don't feel well and I just want to sleep."

"You slept most of the day," he said.

"Because I'm sick, John."

"And where does Dave get off saying my daughter is out of control and I have no control over her."

"Well," said Tessa, "he's kind of right about that. You don't have control of her."

"Are you saying I can't control my daughter?"

"I thought I made that clear, John," she said. "I mean I did flat out and say it. I'm not going to lie to you. You don't have control over her."

"I assure you that I do," said John.

"John, she has been suspended from school 4 times for her behavior, she's beaten my child with a belt and beat up on my daughter but yet you have control over her."

"I told you she has problems," said John.

"Having problems is one thing but not having control over her is another. I understand it was hard that her mom died, I know it's hard for her that we're together but she doesn't have to behave the way she does. She is 9 years old and she is old enough to know there are consequences to her actions. If you keep babying her and saying she has problems as an excuse she is never going to learn that. You don't punish her but you sure were quick to punish Zachary for pushing her down the stairs."

"I don't want Zachary to grow up thinking it's okay to hit girls."

"But I'm sure he's going to learn that it's okay to tell his girlfriend to shut up and disrespect them with his words sort of like you do to me."

"I don't put my hands on you," he said.

"You did once when I was pregnant with Zachary. Remember you pushed me down."

"That was years ago and I got caught up in the heat of the moment."

"Right," said Tessa, "but I think that is a stupid excuse. You put your hands on me and I was pregnant."

"I didn't know you were pregnant till after I pushed you," he said. "And this isn't about that. It's about Zachary pushing Zola down the stairs. He shouldn't have done it."

"You're right he shouldn't have done it but Zola shouldn't do half the things she does but she doesn't get grounded because she has problems. Problems or not she needs to be punished."

"Tess, do you remember how you felt when your parents died?"

"Yes, I remember and I didn't take my aggression out on the world."

"You cheated on your husband," he said.

"But I didn't beat up on everyone in sight especially a defenseless little girl. The fact is you have no control over Zola and you need to get some type of control over her or she is going to tear us apart."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means that we spend so much time fighting about Zola and what she does that it's going to tear us apart and John I don't want that but it's going to happen," said Tessa.

"I think you're just over exaggerating."

"Whatever, John, we're not going to see eye to eye on this and I don't feel well so I'm going to bed."

"I'm sorry, Tess. I really am. What's wrong with you?" he asked completely changing his tone and sounding sympathetic.

"I don't feel well. I just feel nauseous and I threw up everything I ate today," she said.

"Is it the flu?"

"Probably," said Tessa. "I mean it is flu season and that bug is going around."

"Yeah," said John. "I'm really sorry. I will let you rest. I hope that you feel better."

"Thanks," said Tessa. It amazed her how John could be an asshole one minute and the next turn into a sweet guy. It confused her but she wasn't going to say anything. She just wanted to get some sleep. "Goodnight, Baby," she said.

"Goodnight, Beautiful," he said as he softly kissed her lips. "I probably shouldn't have kissed you huh?"

"You'll get it anyway," she said, "so it doesn't matter."

"You're right," said John with a smile. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," she said as she laid back down. John covered her up and walked out of the room turning off the light. Tessa soon closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

The next day after the kids were home from school Tessa was in her office working on her new book that she was planning on writing after her vacation when Scarlet came in the room. "Hey, Mommy, what are you doing?" she asked walking over to the desk.

"I'm trying to get ideas for a new book," she said, "but it's not working too well."

"Oh," she said, "I can help you," she said.

"You have ideas?" asked Tessa.

"Yeah," she said.

"Okay. What's your idea?" she asked picking Scarlet up and putting her on her lap.

"I think you should do a book about bullying, Mommy. You should do one about the princess being bullied."

"That sounds like a good idea," said Tessa.

"Yeah because bullying is bad and you can write about how the princess is scared to tell someone about the bully and then you can write about how the bully stops picking on the princess. I think that would be a good book. A lot of kids get bullied and they should know how to stop it," she said.

"Scarlet, that is a GREAT idea. I like it. Maybe you should write books," she said.

"Maybe one day I will, Mommy," she said.

"And what should the bully's name be?"

"Zo- I mean Zoey," she said.

"Okay," said Tessa. "Zoey it is but I know that you really mean Zola. If Zola is still bullying you, you can tell me."

"She's not," said Scarlet.

"Okay," said Tessa, "but you do know you can tell me if she is right. You don't have to be scared."

"She's not," said Scarlet.

"All right. How was school?"

"Good, but 1st grade is getting stressful. Those word problems in math are terrible."

"I know," said Tessa. "I didn't like word problems either"

"And gym class is not for me!"

Tessa let out a laugh and said, "gym class wasn't for me either. Reading and writing were my favorites."

"I like reading too! Especially Ramona books. I love Ramona books."

"I did too. When I had you in my tummy I thought about naming you Ramona. I wanted to name you Ramona but then your dad and me decided on Scarlet."

"I would love to have the name Ramona. I love that name."

"I do too," said Tessa. "Maybe next time."

"Next time?" asked Scarlet with excitement. "You're going to have a baby?"

"Someday but not any time soon," said Tessa. "But the name Ramona is in my mind."

"Cool," she said. "What about a boy?"

"I don't know maybe Atticus," said Tessa.

"Atticus?"

"Yeah. He's from a book I read in high school called 'To Kill A Mockingbird'."

"Oh," she said. "Never heard of him."

"You will," said Tessa. "You will."

"Where did you get my name?"

"From my favorite book in the world; 'The Scarlet Letter'. I could have named you Pearl but I thought Scarlet fit you better with your red lips."

"Cool," she said. "Are you going to be with John forever?"

"I don't know maybe why?"

"I was just asking," she said, "I like John but I don't like Zola."

"I promise I will never let Zola hurt you again. Okay?"

"You pinky promise, Mommy?"

"I pinky promise," she said holding up her pinky finger so they could hook pinkies to make their pinky promise.

"I love you, Mommy."

"I love you too," said Tessa as she gave Scarlet a hug. She couldn't have felt happier than she did when she felt Scarlet wrap her tiny arms around her. She was her baby girl and Tessa loved her more than words could say. "So do you want to go help me with dinner?"

"Yes!" she said.

"All right, let's go," she said as she put Scarlet down on the floor and got up to go with her to the kitchen. She got a feeling of nausea come over her so she lingered a minute as she felt like she was going to throw up.

"What's wrong, Mommy?" asked Scarlet.

"Nothing. I just didn't feel well but I feel fine now. Let's go make some dinner," she said with a smile as she took Scarlet's hand and walked to the kitchen with her.

***A/N: So what did you think? Please review and thank-you for reading. **


	10. Chapter 10

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter they were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much! **

A couple weeks later on Valentine's Day they were having a birthday party for Zachary. Tessa was still feeling sick and she knew that something was obviously wrong with her and her period was also running late. She didn't want to think that she was pregnant but the symptoms seemed to be there. She was not ready to be pregnant again but she thought she was just over exaggerating things. She was only a few years away from being 40 and wanted to think it was the beginning stages of menopause but that day when she went to pick up Zachary's Spongebob cake she made and extra trip to get a pregnancy test just to check. She laughed to herself as she picked a pregnancy test up off the shelf. As much as she wanted to have another baby she was starting to think her and John were too old for another baby so she wasn't entirely sure on the decision. She grabbed the test and took it up the checkout along with the cake. After the cashier rang it up she stuck it in her purse, paid for the order and then headed home before Zachary's friends arrived.

Tessa walked into the house and was stopped by Zachary and John on her way to the kitchen. "Is that my cake?" asked Zachary.

"Yes," said Tessa. "It's your cake. They did a pretty good job on it."

"I wanna see!" he said.

"Let me get it to the kitchen and I will show it to you."

"Okay," he said as he and John followed her to the kitchen.

"So are we still on for tonight?" asked John.

"I don't know," said Tessa. "I don't know if I want to leave Zola and Scarlet alone for us to go out."

"It's Valentine's Day," he said. "I want to go out and give you a special evening. My parents are here and they are willing to babysit."

"Maybe I will just send Scarlet with Dave tonight after the party."

"He's coming?" asked John disappointed.

"He is like a father to Zachary. He was there the day he was born," she said. "Zachary wanted him here so he's coming so just be nice okay?" she asked as she laid the cake down on the island in the kitchen.

"I will do my best but you have to promise me we can still go out tonight and have a romantic evening. Promise?"

"Fine," she said. "We can still go out tonight but I want Scarlet with her father."

"And if he has plans?" asked John.

"Then I don't know," said Tess, "I'll have to think about it," she said as she opened the cake box for Zachary to see the cake.

"That is the coolest cake ever!" he said with excitement in his eyes.

"Isn't it?" asked Tessa. "They did a good job."

"They really did," said John as he wrapped his arms around Tessa's waist to look at the cake over her shoulder. "So just think a romantic evening just the two of us," he said whispering in her ear. "A very special night."

"The last time I had a romantic evening on Valentine's Day I was in labor for hours," she said.

"Well, you're not pregnant now so you don't have to worry about going into labor. I am going to give you the best Valentine's Day ever."

"Nothing will top the Valentine's Day Zachary decided to come into the world."

"All right the second best," he said. "Are you feeling better?"

"A little. Still a little nauseous but I'll be okay."

"I hope so," he said as he soft kissed her neck. "I'm going to go set some stuff up. I love you."

"I love you too," she said before he kissed her lips softly.

"Ew!" said Zachary as he watched his parents kiss. "That is so gross."

"One day when you're older you won't think it's so gross," said John with a smile. "But I mean WAY older like 25 years old."

"I will NEVER kiss a girl," said Zachary.

"We'll see," said John with a smile before leaving the kitchen to go set up some party decorations. Tessa closed up the box as Zachary ran off to go change his clothes for his party. Tessa was using her moment of solitude to take the pregnancy test. She could wait no longer. She needed to know so she headed to the bathroom to take the test.

Tessa followed the directions on the pregnancy test but she was like a pro at taking a pregnancy test she had taken so many in her life. She sat on the side of the tub waiting the results when she was done. She sat thinking about if she was ready for a baby or not. She was noting the pros and cons of having a baby. She wasn't sure if she wanted to bring a baby into the world with Zola and the way she acted. Zola already had it out for Zaiden and Scarlet she didn't want her to have it out for a newborn baby also. Tessa was torn as she waited. She wanted a baby but then again she didn't. She thought she was being ridiculous about the entire thing because she had no idea of the results. The moments ticked away and soon it was time to know the truth so she got up from the side of the tub and walked over to the toilet. She picked the test up off the back of the toilet, holding her breath; she looked at the test and read the results. "I'm pregnant," she said to herself. "Pregnant…" She didn't know how to react. She was neither angry nor happy she was just numb. She took a deep breath and put the test back in the box. She decided if John wanted to have a romantic evening for Valentine's Day she would have a lovely little surprise for him. She left the bathroom, went upstairs to change her clothes to get ready for Zachary's party and then hid the test so that she could surprise John with it later.

During Zachary's birthday party he was off playing with his friends paying no attention to his parents at all and not even paying attention to Dave. Dave seemed to be uncomfortable as John, Tessa, John's parents and Dave sat in the living room talking while Zachary was off playing with the boys he invited. "Dave," said Tessa as she held Scarlet on her lap, "I have a question for you."

"What?" he asked showing his discomfort in his voice.

"Do you have plans later tonight?"

"Not really. My girlfriend and me broke up so I was just going to sit at home cursing the day," he said.

"Oh," said Tessa.

"Why what's up?"

"I was wondering if you could take Scarlet for the night. John wants to go out but I don't feel comfortable leaving Scarlet here with Zola."

"I'm going to Daddy's?" asked Scarlet.

"That's up to your dad," said Tessa.

"Daddy? Can I?"

"I don't see why not. That's not a problem at all. I'll take her for the night."

"Thank-you," said Tessa.

"No problem," he said. "So Zachary is really 8 years old today? I can't believe it. The last 8 years just flew by."

"I know," said Tessa. "Time goes so fast. And it is still my favorite Valentine's Day ever."

"Mine too," said Dave with smile. "One of the craziest but still the best."

"Yeah," said Tessa remembering that it was Valentine's Day 8 years ago when Zachary was born but it was also the day Dave had proposed to her. "Good times."

"Yep," he said making John feel uncomfortable.

John's mom must have sensed John's discomfort and changed the subject immediately. "So Tessa, I see your parents' house has been sold. I bet that makes you happy."

"I guess," said Tessa looking at John. It was clear he never told his parents that he was the person that bought the house next door to them. He gave her a look back and shrugged his shoulders.

"It's taking them a while to move in. Do you know what kind of people they are? Or where they come from?"

"I know them VERY well," said Tessa.

"Can you tell me about them?" she asked.

"Sure," she said looking at John again.

"Are they older or younger?"

"Almost middle aged. It's a couple that has 5 children. They are very nice, they fight occasionally but nothing disturbing. They are a very decent family."

"What do they do for a living?" she asked. His mom sure was interested in her new neighbors. "I mean I just want to make sure they fit in."

"Trust me," said Tessa, "they will. In fact they resided in West Newbury before. They moved away for a few years and have decided to move back."

"Oh really? What are their names? West Newbury is a small town and I know almost everyone," she said.

"I think their last names are Cena and Montgomery or more currently known Batista."

His mother took a minute to process what Tessa had said and finally said, "wait are you two the ones that bought the house?"

"I bough the house," said John. "I wanted to move back to West Newbury to be closer to you and to raise our kids in the same town we grew up in."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I don't know," said John. "I was waiting for the right time to tell you."

"So we're going to be neighbors," she said. "That is amazing. I can't believe it. I will be able to see my grandchildren everyday. Did you check the private schools out in the area?"

"Mom, I'm on top of it. I have it all under control."

"And Dave how do you feel about Scarlet going to West Newbury?" asked John's mother.

"I don't mind it as long as I get her when I'm supposed to," he said. "I think it will be good for her to grow up in the same neighborhood as her mother. I'm happy for them." He truly was happy for them. He thought that West Newbury would be the perfect place for Scarlet but he didn't like the fact he wouldn't only be a phone call away in case something happened to her.

"I see," she said. "Well, I'm looking forward to you guys moving in. When are you two moving up there?"

"Mid-April," said John, "we have some work to do."

"I was thinking more mid-March," said Tessa thinking about being pregnant. The sooner they got up there the easier it would be for them.

"I thought we agreed on Mid-April?" he asked her.

"I think Mid-March will be better," she said.

"We'll discuss it," said John.

"Oh YES we will," she said giving him a glance. "We have a LOT to discuss."

"That sounds good," said Dave. He gave Tessa a glance and looked over her body. He knew her secret but wasn't sure if John had known it.

"So Tessa, how are you feeling?" asked John's mom. "He told me you've been sick lately."

"Yeah," she said, "but I'm feeling better." She said picking up her drink.

"That's good. From the way it sounded," she said as Tessa took a sip of her drink, "I thought you might have been pregnant."

Tessa choked on her drink a little bit and said, "oh no." She felt bad for lying but she wanted to tell John privately the news of the baby and being pregnant. She owed him that much.

"Are you okay?" asked John not realizing a thing.

Dave let out a small chuckle and whispered to himself, "idiot."

"Mommy, said she doesn't want a baby right now," said Scarlet. "She said she wants to have a baby after Zaiden and Zuri aren't in diapers."

"Well, that's a good thing because I think you two already have your hands full with Zaiden and Zuri, Zola, Scarlet and Zachary. I think you two have plenty of children no need to introduce a 6th. I think you two should stop while you're ahead." Tessa wasn't even sure what that meant but she felt like it was her subtle way of telling her SHE didn't want them to have another baby like it was her decision in the first place. She was infuriated.

"I'm going to get some more food," she said standing up quickly after putting Scarlet down, "does anyone want anything?"

"We're all right," said John.

"All right," she said walking to the dining room to get some food as she headed to the dining room Dave followed behind her because he could tell she was upset.

She was filling her plate with some vegetables when Dave appeared, "so I guess congratulations are in order?"

"Huh?" she asked.

"When are you due?" he asked.

"I don't' know," she said. "How do you know I'm pregnant?"

"Because I know you, Tess, how many times do I have to tell you that I know you better than anyone else including Romeo in the living room who seems to have no idea. So when are you due?"

"I don't know. I just found out today."

"So Romeo really doesn't know," said Dave, "so once again I'm the first to know."

"Yeah so please don't say anything," she said.

"I won't," he said. "And obviously the grandmother doesn't want you to have another one."

"It's not her choice and it's happening whether anyone wants it to or not."

"That's how it happens," he said. "I am happy for you. I just hope this is what you really want in life."

"I guess it is," she said. "I'm happy."

"As long as you're happy," he said. "I just don't want you thinking this is what you want but not really want it. You know what I mean?" Tessa wasn't sure what he was talking about. He was starting to confuse her.

"I'm happy," she said. "Now let's go back to the living room before they start to think we're up to something."

"Oh yeah don't' want to add more scandal to the Cena family," he said. "Mrs. Batista!"

"Shut up," she said, "I'm only Mrs. Batista till the divorce goes through then I'm going to be Ms. Montgomery again."

"All right," he said as they walked out of the dining room and back into the living room.

When the party was over Zachary thanked all his friends for coming and thanked Dave for coming too. His party turned out pretty good and once his friends were gone he went off to play with his new toys, Dave took Scarlet and went to his house while Tessa and John cleaned up from the party. "I can't wait for tonight," said John. "I have a really special night planned for us."

"I bet," said Tessa.

"I have a nice surprise for you," he said.

"I have one for you too," she said as they continued cleaning up. She wasn't sure how he was going to feel about the situation but it was what it was and nothing could stop it from happening.

***A/N: So what did you think? Please review and thank-you for taking hte time to read.**


	11. Chapter 11

***Thank-you for all the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. THank-you all so much! **

Later that night for Valentine's Day Scarlet was at Dave's house watching Disney Princess movies with him while Zachary, Zola, Zaiden and Zuri were at home with John's parents so that John could take Tessa out for a nice romantic evening. He took her to a nice Italian restaurant in the city which there was a candle light dinner waiting for them along with a bouquet of a dozen roses; 6 white and 6 red, with baby's breath mixed among them, two champagne glasses and a bottle of champagne waiting for them. John had already ordered their meal of chicken Marsala on a table with a white table cloth. Tessa was in awe at everything she saw in front of her. "So what do you think?" asked John as he pulled her chair out for her.

"It's wonderful," she said with a smile. "I love it."

"Happy Valentine's Day," he said as he took his seat.

"I love the roses," she said with a smile. "They're beautiful."

"Just like you," he said.

"You know you didn't have to go through all this."

"Yes I did because I feel like I don't appreciate you enough and you deserve it. I wanted to go through all of this because I love you, Tess."

"I love you too," she said.

"Champagne?" he asked.

"Um," said Tessa, "can I just have some water?"

"Sure but I thought that you would enjoy a nice bottle of champagne," he said as he motioned for the waiter.

"I'm just not in the mood for champagne tonight. Water is just fine," she said as the waiter came over.

"Can I help you, Mr. Cena?" asked the man.

"Could you please bring my girlfriend some water and bring me some water and take this back to the back. We won't be needing it tonight."

"Anything you'd like," he said taking the champagne to take to the back to bring them some water.

"You could have drank some champagne," said Tess.

"If you're not drinking neither am I."

"All right," said Tessa with a smile. "The food looks great. Thank-you."

"You're welcome," he said with a smile. "Happy Valentine's Day."

"Happy Valentine's Day," she said as she began to eat her food. She had to give credit where credit was due. John could be quite the romantic when he wanted to be. He had gone through all that trouble to make their Valentine's dinner special. He had put them in a private location, where they ate by candle light and as they ate he had violinists playing music for them. Tessa thought it was the sweetest thing he could have done so when he told her he still had a surprise for her at the house she was shocked because their dinner and everything had already seemed to be expensive.

When they arrived at the house John opened the door for her and everything was quiet in the house except his mom was in the living room watching TV while the kids were asleep. It had been a while since the house was that quiet. John took Tessa's hand and led her up the stairs to their bedroom. They didn't stop in their room but kept walking to the master bedroom where there was a hot bubble bath drawn and waiting for Tessa with lit candles surrounding the tub. "John? Really?" she asked surprised.

"Yes, Really," he said. "I have another surprise for you that I need to work on so I figured you could unwind and relax in a nice bath while I work on it."

"Wow," she said. She was shocked. "I love you, John."

"I love you too," he said with a smile after she had kissed her lips. "And there are chocolate covered strawberries for you as well. I did have champagne but you're not in a champagne mood so I substituted it with sparkling cider. So enjoy your bath. I'll be out in the other room working on your surprise."

"Okay," she said as she began to strip down out of her red halter dress after taking off her matching red heels. She grabbed a ponytail holder off the sink and put her hair up in a messy bun. She then climbed into the hot bubble bath while John went off into their room to make everything special for them. Tessa felt so relaxed in the tub as she ate the chocolate covered strawberries and helped herself to sparkling cider. John was right he was making it one of the best Valentine's Days for her. She was impressed and she was shocked that John could pull something off so romantic. She had lost herself in her relaxation that she forgot John was planning something else for them until John came to get her.

"Everything is ready," he said with a smile.

"All right," she said regretting that she had to get out because it was such a peaceful moment for her. She didn't have kids screaming, kids fighting, she didn't have Zola stressing her out and more importantly her and John weren't fighting. "That was so enjoyable," she said as she got out as John handed her a towel. "I think this is one of the best Valentine's days of my life."

"You haven't seen anything yet," he said with a smile as he got her white furry robe ready for her to put on. "I have something very special for you."

"I have something for you too," she said with a smile.

"I bet you do," he said with a smile as he helped her put on her robe.

They walked into the bedroom and Tessa felt her heart stop as she saw a trail of rose petals leading to rose petals on the bed in the shape of a heart with a small ring box in the middle of the heart. The room was dimly lit with candles and she said, "you're all about candles tonight aren't you?"

"Tess, I'm all about you tonight," he said handing her a Valentine's Day card.

"Thank-you," she said as she opened it. Her eyes filled up with tears as she read the words in the card. "Tess, I know things haven't always been what we wanted but I am forever grateful that you're giving me this second chance. I'm thankful you're giving me the chance I never thought I would have. I know at times I seem to be a jerk to you and I'm sorry. I don't mean to be that way. I love you, Tessa. I love you with every part of my body. You are my entire world. Everyday that I get to wake up next to you is a blessing. I wouldn't give it up for anything. You are my best friend in this entire world and I have never loved anyone as much as I love you. You mean everything to me. You're a great mother and a wonderful girlfriend. Everyday I am happy to call you mine, will you be my valentine? Love, John." It was beautiful it wasn't exactly poetry but it was John showing his love for her. "It's beautiful, John."

"Thank-you," he said, "So will you be my valentine?"

"Yes," she said with a smile. "I'll be your Valentine if you'll be mine."

"You don't even have to ask," he said before softly kissing her lips. When the kiss broke he said, "I have one more thing for you." He led her over to the bed and grabbed the small box from outside the heart. "I got this for you," he said, "I hope that you like it."

"Thank-you," she said as he handed her the small box. She opened it to see a diamond and sapphire bracelet. "It's beautiful," she said. "I love it."

"I was hoping you would," he said as he saw a look of disappointment on Tessa's face. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she said looking at the bracelet. Secretly she was hoping he would have proposed to her but he hadn't.

"Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said. "I'm sure. It's beautiful. I love it."

"Good," he said as he walked behind her to massage her shoulders, "and I thought that we could have some intimate time… what do you think?"

"I guess I am down for that. You do deserve a little love," she said with a smile as she turned and softly kissed his lips.

"And I went out to buy us some condoms so we're all good. We have to be safe," he said before he softly kissed her neck.

"About that," she said. "I want to give you my gift."

"Now?" he asked.

"Yes, now," she said walking over to the dresser. "I don't know how you're going to like it but I hope that you do."

"Is it lingerie?" he asked as she got into the drawer.

"Why would I need to put on lingerie when it will just be coming off anyway?" she asked.

"I don't know," he said. "I just thought that maybe you would have gotten some lingerie," he said as he laid down on the bed.

"Well, it's not lingerie," she said pulling out the test. She hid it behind her back as she walked over to the bed. "Happy Valentine's day," she said handing the pregnancy test to him.

He looked at the test in his hands. His eyes grew bigger and for a moment his heart stopped and then he said, "what is this? Pregnant?"

"Surprise," she said with a smile.

***A/N: So what did you think? Please review and thank-you for taking the time to read. **


	12. Chapter 12

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. THey were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much. **

"What?" asked a shocked John. "You're pregnant? Is this a joke, Tess?" he asked. He didn't know if she was telling the truth or not.

"Why would I joke about something like that?" she asked. "I'm pregnant."

"What? I mean how?"

"How?"

"Yeah. How did this happen?"

"Well," said Tessa, "we had sex."

"I know that but how and when? This can't be we always use protection," said John. He was panicking. He knew he wasn't ready for another baby. "It can't be mine."

"Well, it can't be anyone else's," she said as she sat down on the bed. "I'm pregnant and it's your baby."

"When did this happen.. You can't be pregnant."

"I don't know.. Remember that night when we didn't have a condom and you said we would be okay because you had a problem but guess what! I'm pregnant."

"Oh my god," he said. "This can't be happening."

"It is and there is nothing you can do about it. We're having a baby."

"Holy shit, Tess. I never really thought that one time would cause a pregnancy."

"Well it does only take one time," said Tess. "Didn't you pay attention in health class. All it takes is one time."

"And we're keeping it?" he asked.

"Why wouldn't we?" she asked.

"Because we have two one year olds, a 6 year old, an 8 year old and a 9 year old. Don't you think we've got our hands full right now?"

"Well, what do you want to do with it?" asked Tessa.

"Put it up for adoption, abort it or something," he said.

"Don't be ridiculous, John. We're keeping it. We will just have to deal with it. I'm sure we can get through it."

"I don't know. I don't even know what to say," he said. "I'm sorry. I'm not even thinking. I'm just really shocked."

"I was shocked too but there is nothing we can do about it but just think we're going to have a little baby."

"We had two little babies last year," said John.

"I know but it's better this way because I'm almost 40 John. It's better to get pregnant before 40..there are risks now but they are higher at 40."

"Tess, what do you mean risks?" he asked. He didn't want to hear about risks after everything that happened with Ryan when she had Zaiden.

"Genetic disorders and disabilities," she said, "stuff like that."

"Oh," he said. "So we're really having a baby?"

"According to the home pregnancy test. I have to go to the doctor to confirm it but I'm pretty sure we're having a baby. I have all the symptoms."

"Damn," he said. "I never saw this one coming. I'm sorry I acted like a jerk but this is shocking," he said as he rubbed her back. "Are you sure you want this baby?"

"I'm sure," said Tessa. "I've wanted another one so I guess this is the best time as any."

"All right," said John. "I can do this again.. We can do this again." John had let it sink in. At first he was upset, then he was shocked now he was taking it in and he was all right with it. There wasn't anything he could do about it.

"I know we can. So you're not mad?"

"I was but what's the point in getting mad about something like this? We both know we're having a beautiful baby and that we're going to love it to no end. It is a blessing. Is that why you've been so sick lately?"

"Yeah," said Tessa. "And the sore breasts and the excessive eating and the thousand bathroom breaks."

"Are you ready to go through this again?"

"I don't know if my body is ready but I'm ready," she said. "I have to be."

John let out a little laugh as he thought about all the trouble he had gone through previously to have a child before he even knew Zachary was his son. "Wow," he said laughing again.

"What's so funny?" asked Tessa she wasn't seeing any of the humor in their situation.

"Because for 4 years, Tess, Ryan and I tried to have a baby. We tried so hard and it wasn't working then the doctor told me I had issues with my sperm. Then she still wasn't getting pregnant so we had my sperm and her egg implanted in you then we ended up getting pregnant on our own and then I come to find out Zachary was my son and now you're pregnant after one time of unprotected sex.. It's funny.. Maybe I don't really have a problem."

"I don't know," said Tessa.

"I mean think about it, Tess, after all the hell that Ryan and me went through and then it finally happened. You and me weren't even trying this time and it happened for us."

"Yeah," said Tessa, "that's usually how it works for me.. When I'm not trying is the most likely time I'll end up pregnant. That's what happened with Scarlet."

"This is crazy," said John. "When you go to the doctor can you make sure that death isn't a risk of this pregnancy?"

"I can," said Tess, "I'm healthy and everything. I should be fine. Don't worry."

"It's just I lost Ryan during childbirth and she was healthy.. She just had a hemorrhage in her brain. I shouldn't have let her keep pushing, Tess. I should have had her stop I shouldn't have let her continue when she said her head hurt. It was my fault, Tess."

"It wasn't your fault," said Tessa. This was the first time John had been so open about his feelings on Ryan's death. He very rarely talked about it but that night he was pouring out his feelings. "You didn't know that she was going to die. She could have just had a headache. No one knew it was a brain hemorrhage."

"But she died, Tessa and now my children have to grow up without their mother all because I wanted a baby."

Tessa's feelings were hurt. She knew she wasn't Zaiden's and Zuri's mother but she loved them as if she was. They were like her children to her since she had been helping to raise them since they were born. John saying that was like a slap in the face. "John," she said.

"Tess, It's true. I can't lose another woman to childbirth so please make sure that you won't die."

"I will make sure," she said. "I will make sure."

"I'm serious, Tess," he said as his eyes filled with tears, "if I lose you I don't know what I'll do. I can't lose you."

Tess had never seen John so scared in his life and she wrapped her arms around him. "It's okay. You're not going to lose me. It will be okay."

"I can't, Tessa. I can't. Please."

"John, Honey, I'm not going anywhere. I will talk to the doctor and make sure everything is done correctly. Okay?"

"Okay," he said. "Tessa, I love you and I don't' want to lose you. I am scared to death about this."

"I know but you don't have to be scared. I love you, John and I'm not going anywhere. It's okay," she said as she rubbed his back. She didn't know how to feel. She had never saw John this scared in his life. John never brought up Ryan and he never expressed his feelings about it but judging by his pain and fear about Tessa being pregnant she thought that it would probably be best if he went to see a specialist to overcome his fear. She wasn't going to bring it up then because John was an emotional wreck at the time but once he got himself together she would say something. John's and Tessa's romantic evening came to an abrupt end after Tessa announced the pregnancy. John was no longer in the mood to be romantic as he was thinking about Ryan and her death so he wanted to be alone. He decided he would sleep downstairs on the couch while he left Tessa upstairs in the room by herself. Tessa just wanted to spend the night with John but he wanted to be alone so she dealt with her unwanted loneliness by crying herself to sleep. "So much for a romantic night,' she said before she drifted off to sleep.

***A/n: So what did you think? Please review and thank-you for reading. **


	13. Chapter 13

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. THey were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much. **

The next morning Tessa woke up after only getting about 2 hours of sleep because after everything that happened with John she was upset and she was experiencing morning sickness so between John and morning sickness she got very little sleep. She walked downstairs and passed by the living room to see John sleeping on the couch before walking to the kitchen to get some water. She walked into the kitchen to see John's mom making a pot of coffee. "Good morning, Tess, is everything okay?"

"I don't know," said Tessa. "I'm worried about John."

"What's wrong with him?" she asked as she poured herself a cup of coffee. "Would you like a cup? You look like you had a long night."

"No thank-you," she said as she grabbed a bottle of water out of the fridge. "It's just have you ever heard him talk about Ryan since she died?"

Carol thought for a moment and said, "actually no. He never mentions her. Why?"

"Because he brought her up last night and was talking about it being his fault. He feels like it was his fault that she died."

"But she died from a brain hemorrhage that's not his fault," said Carol as she sat down at the table with Tessa. "Why would he think it was his fault?"

"Because he had her keep pushing even though her head hurt. He was really scared about it last night. He was talking about her a lot. I don't think he's over her death."

"I see," said Carol taking a sip of her coffee. "So you two were talking about Ryan last night?"

"Yes," said Tessa. "We were. He is still hurting from her death. He is still scared because of her death."

"And what brought her up?" she asked looking at Tessa.

Tessa didn't want to tell her that she was pregnant but that's what brought up Ryan. She went against her better judgment and said, "I'm pregnant."

"You're pregnant?" she asked as she stirred her coffee a little more aggressively. "You're pregnant."

"Yes," she said. "I mean I still have to go to the doctor to get it confirmed but I'm pretty sure I am.. Is there something wrong with that?"

"No," she said. "It's just don't you think you two are over your heads right now?"

"Whether we are or we aren't we're having a baby. Nothing is going to change that but that's what got John worried and he started talking about Ryan. He was so scared and kept telling me he didn't want to lose me like he lost Ryan and made me promise to make sure I don't die like she did. He was really torn up about it and he was really scared. I never saw him like that."

"Well, Ryan did died tragically. I would assume he would be upset about it. Maybe he's just now confronting his feelings."

"Or maybe he's had these feelings for a while and he couldn't hide them anymore. I don't know but I think John needs help. I think he should go talk to someone that can help him because him being so scared is not going to work for me with this pregnancy and I don't want him to be so scared he won't be there."

"Well, is this John's baby?" she asked.

"Yes it's John's baby," said Tessa. "Whose else would it be?"

"I don't know Dave's. You two seemed pretty chummy yesterday. I don't know."

"I assure you Dave is NOT the father of this baby. John is the father."

"Well, with you one never knows," she said taking another sip of her coffee.

"What I did in my past is done. I can't change it but I have been completely faithful to John since we got back together. I don't plan on cheating on him."

"Okay so John needs help," she said. "Get him to go to a therapist or something."

"But what if he doesn't think he has a problem?" asked Tessa. She wasn't sure if John would go for help because he may not realize how serious his problem is. He barely recognized Zola had a bigger problem than what he believed. Tessa wasn't sure how this was going to work out.

"I don't know what to tell you, Tessa," she said as John walked into the kitchen. "Good morning, Honey."

"Morning, Mom," he said. "Tessa."

"John," she said. "Your mom and me were just talking about you. And we think that you should get some help."

"Help for what?" he asked.

"Help for your problems. You obviously haven't gotten over Ryan's death and you're really scared that I'm going to die during the pregnancy or childbirth so we think you should get some help."

"I don't have a problem, Tess. I was having a weak moment. I will be fine. I know you'll be okay."

"John, you were really scared last night," she said. "That wasn't normal. John, please go talk to someone at least. It might make you feel better."

"Talk to someone? That's not going to change the fact that Ryan died giving birth to Zaiden. I loved her and she just died… if she wouldn't have died…"

"If she wouldn't have died we wouldn't be together," said Tessa as her feelings were hurt. "I get it.. I was just the back up plan."

"Tess, I didn't mean it like that," he said. "I'm sorry. I will go to talk to someone. It's just I don't want what happened to Ryan to happen to you. I love you, Tessa and if I lose you I'm going to go crazy."

"John, you're not going to lose me. I promise you. It will be fine. All right?"

"Okay," he said, "can I talk to you in the living room for a minute?"

"I guess," said Tessa as she got up to go talk to John. "What's up?"

"You told my mom? Why? You shouldn't have told her."

"Because she asked why we were talking about Ryan so I told her. I didn't think it would be that big of a deal."

"It is a big deal, Tessa. I wasn't ready for my parents to know. I wasn't ready for anyone to know except you and me. No one needs to know our business but us."

"Why are you so upset?" asked Tessa. "She is your mom. I didn't think you would mind."

"I do mind, Tessa. It's our business."

"You almost seem like you don't want anyone to know the good news."

"I don't, Tessa. People don't need to know about us or know about the baby. My mom made it clear last night she didn't want us to have another baby."

"Why does it matter what your mom wants? It is our lives. It is our baby," she said. "We're adults. We can do what we want," she said. "And if I remember correctly I didn't want anyone to know about Zachary when I was pregnant with him but that didn't stop you from announcing it to your parents and my parents."

"That was different. I was excited."

"So you're not excited about this baby?" she asked. She wasn't really sure how to read John at that moment. He wasn't making sense to her. He was up and he was down. He was in and he was out. She just wasn't understanding him.

"We don't even know if there is a baby. A home pregnancy test can give off a false positive. We don't know if you're really pregnant."

"John, I spent half the night throwing up. I spend almost everyday throwing up, my boobs hurt and I have to pee ALL the time… there is a baby. I am pregnant and you and me are having a baby."

"But you don't know that, Tess. I want proof from the doctor."

"Fine.. I'll schedule an appointment and we'll go. Is that better for you?"

"I guess," he said as if he didn't even want to bother with the topic anymore. Tessa had no idea what was going on with John but he was the complete opposite of the man he was the day before. She started to regret telling him she was pregnant and if she knew he would have reacted the way he did she wouldn't have told him.

"Baby, what is the matter with you?" asked Tessa taking his hands. "What is going on with you."

"Nothing," he said removing his hands from hers. "I just don't want to deal with this right now. I don't want to deal with a baby. I have enough to deal with. I can't do this, Tessa."

"Well, maybe you should have thought about that the night you said we'd be okay…"

"It's not my fault. It's yours. You know you tricked me. You could have bought the condoms. You knew you were out. You wanted a baby more than anything and you tricked me."

"John, you're a REAL piece of work. You really make me sick. I didn't trick you… and it's not my fault. It takes two people to make a baby.. It happened… deal with it."

"I don't want to deal with it," he said. "I don't want to deal with you."

Tessa felt it building up inside of her. She could feel the tears filling up her eyes. She knew she was about to cry. The lump in her throat told her she was going to breakdown at any moment. "Fine, you don't' have to," she said as she headed upstairs.

She got herself dressed and then headed back downstairs. She grabbed her jacket while John was standing by the door. "Where are you going?"

"Out," said Tessa.

"And what about the kids?"

"Deal with them.. You don't want to deal with me.. So I'm leaving you don't have to. Goodbye."

"Tess," he said. "I'm sorry. I didn't."

"Bye, John," she said as she walked out the door, got in her car and drove off.

John stood by the door watching her leave and slammed the door behind her. "Damn it," he said before punching the wall causing a hole to appear. He wasn't sure what hurt more his hand or the wall. He didn't even know where his anger had come from. He didn't even know why he felt the way he did. He didn't even understand himself. He had no idea what was going on with him. One minute he was happy, the next he was sad, the next he was scared and then he was filled up with so much anger he didn't even know what to do with it.

***A/n: So what did you think? Please review and thank-you for reading. **


	14. Chapter 14

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much. **

Tessa arrived at Dave's house not too long after her fight with John to pick Scarlet up. She didn't really know where else to go she had no friends because it was pretty hard to keep friends when you sleep with another woman's husband and then shortly after her death begin to date him. Tessa wasn't worried about it she never really had friends growing up either except for John. The only two friends Tessa really had were Natalya, who turned her back on her as soon as she cheated on John with Dave a long time ago and Ryan, who was John's wife when Tessa slept with him. Tessa felt like she didn't need friends but this was one time she wished she did. She knocked on Dave's door and heard some stumbling around before Dave opened the door. "Tess," he said as he stood in front of her in only his briefs. "It's like 7:30 in the morning what are you doing here?"

"Why are you answering the door in your briefs?" she asked.

"Because someone came knocking on my door at 7:30 in the morning while I was still asleep. Come in," he said allowing Tessa to come in. "Scarlet is sleeping."

"Oh," she said. "Sorry if I woke you up."

"It's fine. I was going to wake up at 8 to get Scarlet up and cook her some breakfast and bring her back. It's okay. So what are you doing out so early? I would have thought you and Romeo would still be having some romantic rendezvous," he said with a laugh.

"Whatever."

"What? I thought you two were having a nice romantic evening together?"

"We were and then I told him I was pregnant and it all went downhill. We had a fight this morning."

"I got you now. I see.. That's why you're here because you and Romeo had a fight. What was it about?"

"I don't even know.. John has problems. He's scared to become a father because he's scared I'm going to die and now he wants proof that I'm really pregnant and he doesn't want people to know. Nor does he want to deal with me or a baby."

"What an ass," he said. "Is the grass really greener, Tess?"

"What are you talking about?" she asked as Dave put on a shirt as if she hadn't seen him briefs before in fact Tessa had seen a lot more of Dave than that.

"You know what I mean, Tess. Is the grass greener on the other side? You obviously thought it was when you cheated on me with John a year and half ago."

"I don't know," she said. "It's not really that green it's sort of brown."

"I see," he said as he sat down on his couch and Tessa sat down on the chair. "You're not happy are you?"

"I'm happy enough," she said.

"But you're not happy. I know when you're not happy and you aren't happy. Why do you let him bring you down, Tessa? He has ALWAYS brought you down you deserve so much better."

"I had better and I fucked it up," she said honestly. She mostly regretted cheating on Dave with John after everything they had gone through. Dave had always been the better man but Dave was the one that walked away it wasn't Tessa. She wanted to work through it but Dave didn't.

"You did," he said. "Tessa, we went through hell to be together. In fact you lost your job so we could be together. We went through it all just to love one another why would you fuck it up?"

"Dave, I honestly don't know. I was vulnerable and my emotions were taking over plus the pregnancy hormones, I just wasn't thinking clearly. I know we definitely went through it to be together. I did risk EVERYTHING I had to be with you. I don't know."

"Do you regret it?" he asked.

"Honestly?"

"Yeah, Honestly, Tessa," he said.

"Yes I do. I regret my entire relationship with John. I thought he changed he seemed to change but he's still the ass he was when I left him the first time. And he is so angry."

"He didn't hit you did he?" asked Dave concerned.

"No. Never," she said, "but with the way he has been I wouldn't rule it out."

"If he ever puts his hands on you I will kick his ass myself," said Dave, "I still love you, Tessa and if he hurts I will kick his ass."

"I don't think he will ever put his hands on me," said Tessa but she wasn't entirely sure John had been so angry lately anything was possible. That morning was the angriest and most hurtful Tessa had seen him.

"I'm just telling you what will happen if he does. Tess, why do you let him bring you down?"

"I don't know, Dave. I really don't know."

"Tessa, you're a smart woman and you're beautiful you don't deserve the way he treats you. You deserve someone that will treat you right. I thought I was doing the right thing. I thought I treated you the way you deserved to be treated. I treated you right didn't I?"

"You did. You treated me like a queen," she said.

"Then why would you cheat on me, Tessa?" he asked. They had never really talked about Tessa's infidelity. They had been separated for over a year but never really talked about the issue at hand. This was the first time they were discussing their past and why things happened the way they did.

"Dave, I really don't know but it was a stupid decision. I shouldn't have done it. It really was a stupid decision and if I could go back and change what I did I would but I can't. I can never go back and I'm sorry. You didn't deserve to be cheated on. I'm sorry," she said with tears in her deep blue eyes. "but we could have worked through it. We could have gotten past it.. You didn't need to walk away. Why did you walk away without fighting?"

"I don't know, Tess, it was stupid. I let my anger get the best of me and then you and John have been friends since you were kids you two have some type of bond together. I didn't want to get in the way of that. You left him but found your way back to him. I just thought that we were completely over. I don't know. I shouldn't have walked away.. I should have fought. I should have fought," he said. "I was stupid not to but Tess it's not too late."

"What do you mean it's not too late?" asked Tessa as Scarlet woke up and was walking out of the bedroom.

Dave didn't' see Scarlet appear in the doorway and said, "it's not too late for us. Our divorce hasn't' gone through. We still have time to turn it around. You can leave John and we can be a family again. WE can be together again. I want to be with you, Tessa. That's why my girlfriend and me broke up because I couldn't get over you. I will NEVER be able to get over you. Please, Tessa. Let's do this. I want to get back with you more than anything please. Tess.. Please."

Tessa didn't know what to say but Scarlet did as she surprised her parents, "Daddy, you're going to get back with Mommy? And we won't have to live with John and Zola anymore?"

"I don't know," said Dave as Scarlet walked into the living room.

"Please! I would like that very much. Do you love Mommy?" she asked Dave as she sat down on the couch with him.

"I do," said Dave with a smile. "I love her very much."

"Like Prince Charming loves Snow White?" she asked.

"Like Prince Charming loves Snow White," he said with a smile.

"Like Aladdin loves Jasmine?" she asked her dark brown eyes growing bigger.

"Like Aladdin loves Jasmine," he answered.

"And like Belle loves the Beast?"

"Like Belle loves the Beast," said Dave with a smile.

"Mommy," she said looking at Tessa, "Daddy really loves you. Do you love him?"

"I do," she said, "but…"

"Then Daddy can move back home with you, me and Zachary and we can be a family and you and Daddy can have a baby together. And we will live happily ever after like in the fairytales. I want Daddy to come home," she said. "I want John to leave."

Tessa was surprised at Scarlet's openness she was not hiding the fact she wanted John to leave. Scarlet tolerated John to an extent but she wasn't overly excited about him. "Scarlet," said Tessa. She didn't want Scarlet to get confused and didn't want her to be filled with false hopes.

"See? Tessa," said Dave. "Can we give it another shot? I really want to and I know you want to. We can make it work."

"Dave," she said. "As much as I would like to make it work I can't."

"What? Why?" he asked.

"Because of mine and John's situation," she said pointing to her stomach.

"Fuck that situation," he said. "You and me can handle that situation together. You said it yourself that John doesn't want to deal with it. I do and I will."

"But it's not your situation," said Tessa. "I have to make it work with John. I'm sorry."

"Tess," said Dave, "it's not going to work with John. You know it and you don't deserve to be unhappy. I can make you happy and I will handle that situation with you. Please."

"Dave, I can't," she said. "I'm sorry. I can't keep jumping back and forth between you two."

"You don't have to. You leave him and you stay with me. Come on, Tess."

"Dave, I can't," she said. "I can't."

"Fine, Tess."

"I have to go. Scarlet, it's time to go home," she said as she got up from the chair.

"No, Mommy. I don't want to go. I want to stay with Daddy," she said insistently.

"Scarlet, it's time to go home."

"I don't want to live there. I want to live with Daddy. I don't want to go home with you," she said.

"Scarlet," said Tessa, "I'm not playing with you. It's time to go. We need to go home."

"No, Mommy. I'm staying with Daddy. I don't want you," she said.

"Scarlet Rose," said Tessa as she felt her heart break. "Let's go."

"No," she said not budging. "I want to stay with Daddy."

"Tess," said Dave, "let her stay another night. It doesn't matter to me. I don't have plans. She obviously doesn't want to go back there so just leave her with me."

"Dave, it's not your night to have her."

"And last night wasn't either but I was good enough when you wanted to be with Romeo. Let the girl stay another night. I will bring her back tomorrow."

"But," said Tessa.

"But nothing," said Dave. "The girl doesn't want to go with you so just let her stay here," he said. "I promise I will bring her home tomorrow morning."

"Fine," said Tessa. "Fine. It doesn't matter. Whatever," she said.

"Tess, don't be so upset," said Dave. "She's 6. It can't be that bad. She doesn't mean what she says."

"It still hurts," said Tessa.

"I know," said Dave, "but it will be okay. I will talk with her."

"All right," said Tessa. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah," said Dave as he walked her to the door. "And just so you know I'm keeping the offer on the table. When you realize that I love you more than any man on this earth and I am the best thing for you you know where I am."

"All right," she said. "Bye."

"Bye," he said as he opened the door for her. She started walking out of the door and he stopped her. "Tess, wait."

"What?" she asked.

"I have to do this," he said.

"Do wha-" she started to ask before Dave pressed his lips against her and kissed her passionately. At first she wanted to fight him away but she gave into her inner passion and wrapped her arms around him and kissed him back. When the kiss finally broke she didn't know what to say except, "I have to go. Bye."

"Bye," he said with a smile. Tessa hurried down the hall and out of the building. As soon as she was in her car she was overwhelmed with emotions and before she could do anything she broke down and started crying. Everything wasn't the way it was supposed to be. She was with a man she was pretty sure she didn't love and had no way out because she had to make it work for the baby, her own daughter didn't want anything to do with her, her boyfriend didn't want to deal with their child and the man she truly loved wanted to make things work but Tessa couldn't do it. She felt obligated to stay with John.. She didn't know what else to do but cry, to cry her hardest.

***A/N: So what did you think? Please review and thank-you for taking the time to read. **


	15. Chapter 15

*THank-you for all the reviews on the last chapter. THey were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much!

The next couple days were tough ones for John and for Tessa. Tessa was trying to forget what happened at Dave's house and trying to forget the kiss but she couldn't. Every time she would kiss John or even make love to him she could only think about Dave. She hated the fact he had that effect on her. Scarlet was still refusing to come home and Dave had done everything in his power to get her to go home but she would not budge. She did not want to be there. Neither Tessa or Dave knew how to handle it. Tessa just gave Dave Scarlet for the week hoping she would eventually come home. John on the other hand was completely not himself. He was still so very angry and he had no idea why he was angry. It was like walking on egg shells around him for Tessa. She didn't know what would set him off or cause him to go on a rampage. Tessa didn't know what was wrong with John and she was seriously worried about him. She was even scared to approach him about his sudden anger issues because she didn't want him to yell at her. Tessa felt scared to even be around John with is current state of mind.

Tessa and John were going to the doctor's so that John could get his proof that Tessa was really pregnant and so that Tessa could get the medical attention she needed. As they drove to the doctor's office it was a silent ride neither really saying anything to the other. There was so much tension in the car it could be cut with a butcher knife. Neither one wanted to acknowledge their doctor visit nor did they want to acknowledge the pregnancy. Tessa kept watch of the scenery as they drove to the doctor's office. The trees looked so beautiful as they were covered with snow that had fallen from the previous day and had icicles hanging off the branches. There was nothing more beautiful than that in the winter time. John pulled into the doctor's office parking lot and parked the car. He got out of the car before Tessa and headed straight for the door. Tessa got out of the car and shook her head as she walked to the door quickly behind John. John walked in the door first and allowed the door to shut in Tessa's face. She shook her head because there was a time when John would have opened the car door for her and held her hand. There was a time when John would have held the door for her. Tessa walked in and went over to the reception desk to sign in and was given some paperwork to fill out. She walked over and took a seat next to John and said, "Thanks for holding the door, John."

"Sorry," he said bitterly as he looked at a magazine.

"Yeah," she said as she went on filling out her paperwork. It wasn't worth an argument for her. Their wait for the doctor was done in silence as well. Tessa was relieved when she was finally called back.

"Tessa Montgomery-Batista," said the nurse.

"Tessa Montgomery," she said as she got up. She looked to see John was still sitting down as she reached the door and said, "John are you coming?"

"Yeah," he said as he got up reluctantly. Tessa hated to force him to do something he didn't want to do. She thought he would be happy they were having a baby but from the way he was acting the fact they were having a baby seemed to be the root of all evil for their relationship. The moment she announced she was pregnant was the moment everything went downhill for them.

Tessa got to the back and the nurse weighed her and then gave her a cup to pee in before leading John to the examination room. Tessa soon joined them and had her blood pressure taken which was a little bit on the high side but with everything she was dealing with it was understandable. She then had to answer questions as John sat silently. She explained that she had missed her period and she explained all of her symptoms. The nurse took note and then gave Tessa a gown to change into while she waited for the doctor. Once Tessa had the gown on she sat up on the bed and waited for the doctor.

The doctor soon came in and asked Tessa what was going on and she said that she thought she was pregnant. The doctor had her lay down on the bed and did a quick examination on her before suggesting doing an ultrasound to see what was going on. The doctor prepared the machine before putting gel onto Tessa's stomach. Tessa flinched at the coldness and the doctor said, "Sorry. It's a little cold."

"It's okay," she said.

"So are you excited? I mean if you are pregnant?"

"Yeah," said Tessa. "I am."

"You do know that at your age there can be some complications with a pregnancy right?"

"I know but I think I'll be all right."

"Yeah but your blood pressure is a little high. It shouldn't be elevated during pregnancy. That's an early sign of preeclampsia."

"Okay," she said as John cleared his throat. "John, are you coming to hold my hand?"

"No," he said.

"Come on," said the doctor as the machine was turned on and the probe was placed on Tessa's stomach. "This is a memorable moment for you two."

"Fine," he said as he got up and walked over. He reluctantly took her hand and watched as the doctor took the probe over Tessa's stomach. He didn't need an ultrasound to prove Tessa was pregnant. He already knew by her increasing breast size and her slightly growing abdomen. The proof was there but he needed it to be confirmed by a doctor for whatever reason he did not know.

John and Tessa looked on as the doctor took the probe over Tessa's stomach and finally said, "Congratulations. You two are having a baby!"

"Oh my God," said Tessa with a smile and tears in her eyes. "We're having a baby. Look at it. It's such a peanut. Look, Baby!" Tessa was so excited she had wanted to have another baby of her own for a while now and it was finally happening. She was filled with excitement.

"Yeah," said John with no emotion at all.

"And it looks like you're about 6 weeks pregnant," said the doctor, "so we're looking at October 12th possibly being a due date."

"Great," said Tessa with a smile. "Aren't you excited, John?"

"No," he said as he let go of her hand and got up and left the room.

Tessa was beside herself as he left the room and began to cry as the doctor printed off sonogram pictures for her. The doctor felt bad for her and didn't acknowledge it. The doctor had seen reactions before but nothing like what happened with John and Tessa. As Tessa sat up the doctor told her about prenatal vitamins and had her get her first round of tests done. The doctor was also concerned with Tessa's blood pressure so she was told to stay out of stressful situations for the baby's safety as well as her own. Once Tessa had everything she needed she got dressed and was congratulated by the doctor one more time. When Tessa got out to the waiting room John was not there waiting for her. She paid the money she owed and set up her next appointment and walked out to the parking lot. John was waiting in the car for her and as soon as she was in the car he pulled out and headed home. Not a word was spoken.

Their silence only lasted so long until they got home. John went up to the bedroom immediately only to be followed by Tessa. Tessa slammed the door behind them and said, "What the hell was that?"

"What was what, Tessa?" he asked taking off his shoes.

"The doctor's appointment. I thought you would be happy to know you're going to be a father."

"What is there to be happy about?" he asked. "We already have Zuri and Zaiden who are only a year old so by the time the baby gets here they're going to be 20 months old. We're going to be in over our heads."

"John, we will be fine. So what if they are all close together. It happens."

"Yeah to you. I'm not like you. I couldn't handle having two babies over a year apart like you did."

"Well, you are going to handle it. It's not that bad trust me. I've done it before and it is manageable."

"Tessa, and what if you die?"

"I'm not going to die, John. Stop worrying about me dying. I am going to be fine."

"You don't know that. I didn't ask for this, Tessa."

"And I did? I didn't ask to get pregnant but it happened. It's time to be the adult that you are and suck it up because come October 12th we're having another baby."

"Tessa, I don't want it. I don't even know if it's mine."

"So now you're trying to say it's not yours. Nice, John," she said.

"I don't know if you cheated on me," he said. "You do have the habit."

"John, I have not cheated on you. I am pregnant with your child. I know this because it happened that night when we didn't have condoms and you told me we would be fine. Are we fine now, John? Are we? Are we okay? No, John, we're pregnant you are denying it the best you can and questioning my faithfulness. I thought you changed but you are just the same man you were when I left you the first time."

"So you're going to leave me again?"

"I didn't say that, John. I think you need help. You're so angry and I don't even know why."

"I'm not angry," he said knowing it was a lie. "I'm just not feeling this pregnancy. I thought we had at least a year or two not 8 ½ months from now."

"Well, we have 8 ½ months," said Tessa. "It's not going to change. Why can't you just be happy we're having a baby? Did you see it? It's so innocent and tiny. It's no bigger than a peanut. How can you not want it? How can you be so upset about something so beautiful and something so joyous. You should be blessed that we are having one. I mean after all I am getting up there in age and you have your problem this should be a blessing not something to be pissed about. How can you not be happy?" she asked.

John could feel his anger rising inside and he wasn't even sure why. "DAMN IT, TESSA!" He yelled as he stood up. "I DIDN'T ASK FOR THIS. I DIDN'T FUCKING WANT IT TO HAPPEN!"

"Then you shouldn't have had sex," she said, "and you need to keep it down before your mom hears you yelling."

"I don't give a fuck about my mom and if she hears me," said John. "This is my house I will yell if I want to."

"It's not YOUR house it's MY house. MY house and you need to calm down," she said.

"Tessa, don't tell me what to do! I didn't fucking ask for this!" he yelled again. "DAMN IT!" he yelled as he picked up the lamp from the night stand and threw it against the wall causing it to shatter. "I DON'T WANT ANOTHER BABY! I DON'T WANT IT TO KILL YOU LIKE ZAIDEN KILLED RYAN. I DON"T FUCKING WANT IT TESS!" he yelled again before throwing his shoe at the dresser.

Tessa didn't even know what to do. She didn't even know what to think. She had seen John lose his temper but this was way out of control. He was throwing things, breaking things and kicking things. He was getting way out of control He was so pissed that he went to punch the wall and Tessa grabbed his arm. "Calm down. What is the matter with you?"

"Get off of me," he yelled.

"No. You need to calm down. What has gotten into you?"

"Tessa, Get off," he said again as he pulled his arm away.

"John," she said as she grabbed his arm again. "Please stop. You're scaring me. Please stop. Why are you so angry?"

"Get off of me!" he said as he used all his strength to push her away forgetting that she was pregnant. As he went to push her his arm raised up and his fist met her eye as all his force knocked her onto the ground. Tessa grabbed her eye and sat on the floor and began to cry. "Tessa, I am so sorry," said John as he realized what he had done. "I didn't mean it."

"Fuck you," said Tessa. "You hit me."

"Tess, I didn't mean to. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," he said as he tried to comfort her and Tessa pulled away. She couldn't help but to cry. She never imagined in all the years she had known John that he would ever put his hands on her. She never thought he would hurt her like that and while she was pregnant none the less.

As Tessa sat on the floor crying trying to get herself together John sat with her not saying anything but looking at her. He was ashamed of himself. He never wanted to hurt her like that. He never wanted to put his hands on her but he got so angry that he blacked out and next thing he knew she was on the floor. There was a knock on the door as they both sat in silence. "IS everything okay in there?" asked Carol from outside the door.

"Yeah," said Tessa as she wiped her tears away.

"Are you sure? I heard things breaking and yelling. Are you okay, Tessa?" she asked.

"I'm fine," she said with a shaky voice.

"Tessa, are you sure?" she asked.

"Please.. Just give me a minute," said Tessa. "I'm fine. Just leave us alone."

"Tessa…"

"Please go," said Tessa.

"All right," said Carol as she walked away from the door.

"You," said Tessa as she looked at John with as much hatred as she possibly could, "get out of my house. Pack your stuff and get out."

"But Tessa," he said.

"Get out," she said.

"Tessa…"

a/n: So what did you think please review and thank-you for reading. 


	16. Chapter 16

*Thank-you for all the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much!

Tessa still sat on the floor as did John. He was not moving even after she told him to get out. He didn't want to get out. He wanted to stay with her. He wanted to be with her. He didn't mean to hurt her it was never his intent to hurt her. He had gotten so upset that his emotions got the best of him. "Tess, I am sorry. I didn't mean it."

"You hit me," she said as she looked at him. "You literally hit me in the eye and knocked me down."

"Tess, I am sorry. I didn't mean it. I just got so angry I just lost it."

"Yeah.. You lost it and hit me.. It doesn't matter if you meant it or not. I am a woman and you put your hands on me."

"Tess, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. I am so sorry," he said as he went to wrap his arm around her shoulders to comfort her.

"Don't touch me, John. I'm pregnant with YOUR child. How can you just put your hands on the mother of your child?"

"I told you it was an accident, Tess. I shouldn't have done it and I'm sorry."

"Whatever," she said as she got up off the floor and walked over to the mirror to look at her eye.

"Is the baby okay?" he asked as if he cared about the baby. It was the baby and Tessa being pregnant that started the argument in the first place. He didn't care about the baby before why did he all of a sudden care about it.

"I guess, Asshole," she said as she looked at the bruising on her eye. It was already starting to swell. "Why do you care about the baby now? You didn't 10 minutes ago when you knocked me down on the ground after hitting me in the eye."

"Tess, I told you I was angry. I didn't mean it. Sometimes my anger just gets out of control."

"Yeah, John, because that's an excuse.. I'm sure the police will think differently."

"So you're pressing charges on me for hitting you on accident?" he asked. He didn't think there was a need for the police to be involved. It was an accident. He didn't mean to hit her. It just happened when he blacked out.

"John, this isn't an accident," she said showing him her eye. "This is domestic violence."

John looked at her eye that was red and puffy beginning the swelling process already. He was disgusted with himself for allowing himself to do that to the woman he loved. "Oh my God, Tessa, I am so sorry," he said as he walked over to her. "I didn't…"

"You didn't what?" she asked. "You didn't mean to hit me? Whether you did or you didn't you did and this was the result."

"Tess," he said as he took his hand and rubbed it over her eye. "I'm sorry."

"Get out, John. I am not going to be abused by a man. You put your hands on me not only jeopardizing my well being but the well being of our child or my child. I don't know you obviously don't want it. So I guess it's mine."

"Tess, I do want it. I'm sorry. I am just overwhelmed with everything. I am sorry. Please don't kick me out. I want to be a daddy to our baby. I want to have another baby with you. I'm happy."

"Don't lie to me," said Tessa. "You're not happy about the baby and you don't want it. You don't have to want it. You don't even have to be there. I don't care. I'm giving you an out. If you don't want the baby then leave because I'm not getting rid of it and I'm keeping it. I can do it with or without you. And I will not be abused by a guy. I will not let my dignity be destroyed by you."

"Tess, I don't want an out. I want to be here. I want to raise the baby with you it's just after everything with Ryan I'm scared to go through this again."

"So because you're scared it gives you the right to be pissed at the world and get so pissed off that you knock down your pregnant girlfriend?"

"Tess, you have to believe me I didn't mean it. I'm sorry. Please don't make me leave."

"Why shouldn't I? Do you see what you did to me? Look at it, John. Look at it."

"Tess," he said looking at her eye. "I'm sorry. It was my anger."

"And what happens when you get angry again? Then what? You hit me again. I know how it works, John. I know that a man always promises to never do it again and blames it on their anger… the woman accepts their apology and then it happens again.. I'm not that type of woman and I'm not going to allow it to happen again. John, I want you out."

"Tess," he said.

"John. Please just go."

"I will get help. I will do whatever it takes. Please don't make me leave. I will get help for my anger. I will go to talk to someone please just don't leave me and with our baby. Please, Tess," he begged with sincerity in his eyes.

Tessa's eyes filled up with tears. She didn't know if she should believe John or not but the sincerity in his eyes made her feel like she should. She just didn't want to become one of those women that allow a man to hit her, apologize, accept his apology and then it happen again. She didn't want to be in that type of relationship. She was way too much of a strong woman to become that way. She wasn't sure what she wanted to do. "You're going to get help?" she asked.

"Yes," he said. "I'm going to get help. I promise, Tessa."

"I mean serious help to get rid of your anger?" she said.

"Serious help," he said. "I will get help and I will never put my hands on you again. I am going to get help for my anger and I'm going to talk to someone about my fear. I promise."

"Do you really promise?" she asked looking at him with her deep blue eyes.

"I promise," he said. "I will start calling places to get help. I will. I am so sorry, Tessa," he said as he rubbed her cheek. "I'm sorry."

Tessa had a tear roll down her cheek that John wiped away. "John, I don't want it to be like this between us. I don't want you to put your hands on me and I don't' want to be scared to be around you. I don't want you to be that guy. I want you to be the guy you were when you told me you liked me back in high school. I want you to be that guy. I don't want to be hit by you. I really don't," she said breaking down.

"I will never hurt you again," he said as he wrapped his arms around her to comfort her as she cried on his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Tessa. Please just give me another chance. Will you? Don't make me leave please."

Tessa pulled away and looked at John and said, "I am giving you ONE last chance and you will NOT get another one and the only way I will stay with you is if you get help for your anger. If not then I can't be with you having the fear of being hit or something else. John, you have to really get some help."

"I am going to get help. I promise. You will never be scared of me again."

"I mean it John, if you don't get help I will not stay with you."

"I know," he said as he wrapped his arms around her again. "I'm sorry, Tess. I love you," he said as he kissed the top of her head.

"I love you too," she said not really sure if she loved him or not. For some reason to Tessa it felt like obligation more than love. She didn't know how she felt about John. "I mean it, John. And if you ever put your hands on me again I'm gone and I'm taking our kids and I will never come back and YOU will NEVER see them again do you understand me?"

"I understand," he said. "I will never put my hands on you again unless it's in a good way. I'm sorry."

"Okay," she said as she wrapped her arms around John and they shared an embrace together.

"We should probably get something on that eye," said John in a whisper.

"And what am I supposed to tell your mom if she asks?"

"I don't know," he said. "I don't know."

"She knows. She will know," said Tessa.

"Don't worry about her. Let's just get some meat on that eye before it gets worse," he said as he took her hand and led her down stairs.

He led her into the kitchen where Carol was cooking lunch for the kids. She looked over to see them walk in and caught notice of Tessa's eye. "Tessa, what happened?"

"I…" she started to say.

"She bumped it," said John as he walked over to the freezer to get some meat to put on her eye.

"That's a pretty nasty bump," said Carol, "what did you bump it on?" she asked as she looked at John.

"Just the night stand. I'm so clumsy sometimes," said Tessa lying even though she knew Carol knew when she was lying.

"Right,' she said, "John.. Did you have any part in that?"

"Mom. It was an accident. These things happen," he said handing Tessa the meat to put on her eye as the doorbell rang.

"Accidents like that shouldn't happen," she said. "I'm worried about you, John," she said as Tessa went to get the door. "You need help."

"I know. I am going to get some," he said as Tessa reached the door.

She opened the door holding the meat on her eye not expecting to see Dave standing on the side. "Dave," she said in shock.

"Tess," he said as he was holding Scarlet's hand. "She decided to come home."

"Great," said Tess with a smile as she looked down at Scarlet.

"Scarlet, why don't you go inside while I talk to your mom," he said.

"Okay, Daddy," she said. "I love you."

"I love you too," he said as he hugged her and as Scarlet walked into the house Dave got back up to Tessa's level. "What happened to your eye, Tessa?"

"Nothing. I just bumped it," she said.

"Let me see it," he said.

"It's fine," she said holding the meat on her eye.

"Let me see it," he said.

"Dave it's not…"

"Let me see it, Tessa," he said.

"All right," she said removing the meat from her eye. She exposed the swollen, purplish red eye she had been hiding.

"You didn't bump it someone bumped it… with their fist," he said. "Where is he?" asked Dave. "Where is he?"

"Dave, don't," said Tessa. "Please."

"He hit you, Tessa, where is he?" Dave made his way into the house and went to find John.

"Dave, Please no," she said as they reached the kitchen.

"You son of a bitch!" yelled Dave as he ran through the kitchen door and over to John knocking him down on the floor..

"DAVE!" yelled Tessa.

*A/N: So what did you think? Please review and thank-you for taking the time to read. 


	17. Chapter 17

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much. **

Dave was throwing punches as John lay underneath him and the kids watched on. "What the hell are you doing, Batista?" asked John as he tried to cover his face.

"You think it's okay to hit a woman? Why don't you hit someone your own size? Hit me, Cena. Come on.. Hit me," said Dave encouraging Cena to hit him.

"What is going on?" asked Carol. "Get off my son."

"Dave, stop," said Tessa. "Come on.. Stop get off of him."

"I want Cena to prove he is a man," said Dave, "I told you if he ever put his hands on you I would kick his ass. I'm going to show him what it's like. He punched you in the face you deserve better and he deserves an ass kicking."

"It was an accident," said Tessa pleading with Dave to get off of John. "Come on," she said as she walked over and pulled on Dave's arm. "It's not worth it. Let him go."

"Tessa, he hurt you," said Dave as he looked at her. "And you're pregnant. You aren't safe."

"He's getting help," said Tessa. "Please stop."

"Fine," he said as he got up. "Today is your lucky day, Cena. You're lucky but if you EVER put your hands on that woman again.. I will kick your ass understand?" he asked as he fixed his shirt. "Are you okay?" he asked Tessa.

"Yeah," she said. "I'm fine," she said looking into his eyes. He could see the sadness deep down in her eyes and he felt bad for her. He knew she wasn't happy but she was only with him for the baby and the kids. He knew that look he had seen it before.

"Are you sure?"

"She said she was fine," said John as he stood up from the ground and wiped the blood off his lip and Carol got some ice for him to put on his mouth and to clean him up. "Why don't you leave?"

"I will go when I know Tessa is okay," said Dave.

"Dave, I am fine," she said. "I'm all right."

"Are you sure?"

"Quit hassling her, Batista, she is fine."

"Shut up, Cena," said Dave, "I am talking to MY wife."

"She isn't your wife anymore," said John.

"She is until that divorce is finalized," said Dave.

"And that day can't come soon enough," said John. "Right, Tessa?"

"I don't know," she said, "Why do you two have to act like this?"

"Act like what?" asked John.

"Like a couple of Neanderthals. You two have been fighting and hating each other for years and way before I got involved with Dave. You two have always hated each other. You two are always fighting. You two need to learn to get along because no matter what you two are going to be in each other's lives for many years. Dave is Scarlet's father and that means you two will see each other a lot. You need to grow up and get along because neither of you are going anywhere. If you two don't get along we're going to have a lot of hard times in the future. I don't know why you two hate each other so much but I think it's time you let it go and move on and become friends," she said. She was fed up with their feud. They were always fighting and they always had a grudge with one another for whatever reason she did not know but she knew that they needed to learn to co-exist because of Scarlet.

"How are you going to tell me to stop hating someone that you cheated on me with?" asked John.

"She cheated on me with you too," said Dave.

"Yes, Tessa, how do you expect them to get along when you keep bouncing back and forth between the two. One minute you love John and the next you love Dave and you're cheating on John with Dave or vice versa.. You are part of the reason this feud is happening. Maybe you're the one that needs to learn how to behave with the two.. Like choosing one and sticking to that one," said Carol.

"Carol," said Tessa, "Why is what I do your business? I have made my choice. I'm obviously with John."

"For how long, Tessa?" asked Carol, "until you get tired of him? Until Dave seduces you again? You're not one for self-control."

"John, tell your mom to leave me alone and stop belittling me. I have self-control," she said.

"No, Tess, you don't," said John. "You have no self-control. Like my mom said you were with me then you were with Dave and then you were with me it's only a matter of time before you're with Dave again."

"I'm not going to even argue about this," said Tessa. "It's not worth it. If I didn't want to be with you I would have walked out after you punched me in the eye."

"It was an accident," said John.

"I bet it was," said Dave. "Just like you pushed her down when she was pregnant with Zachary was an accident too."

"Shut up, Batista," said John, "Why are you still here?"

"Because I want to make sure your temper doesn't rise and you hit Tessa again."

"Mind your business, Batista," said Dave.

"But it's okay for you to have your mommy defend you and belittle Tessa for the mistakes and choices she made but I can't be here to defend her."

"Why would you want to?" asked John, "She left you."

"No," said Dave, "I left her… let's not get it twisted…but I bet you if I told her I wanted her back she would be with me in a heartbeat."

"Dave," said Tessa, "I'm with John now." It pained her to say that. She didn't want to say that but it was the truth. She was with John now and they were having a baby. She couldn't just walk out and leave him.

"I know," said Dave with a smile. "I just hope you're happy."

"I'm happy enough," she said. "You don't have to worry about me."

"I will always worry about you," said Dave. "I care about you."

"I know," said Tessa, "but I'm all right."

"Okay," said Dave. "I guess that is my cue to leave."

"You need to leave," said Zola.

"Zola," said Tessa. "No one asked you."

"I didn't need to be asked," she said. "I said it because I wanted to."

"John," said Tessa. "Handle it."

"Well, she's right he needs to leave."

"All right," said Tessa. "Then I guess I should leave too."

"What? What do you mean?" asked John as he felt his anger rising again.

"I'm not safe here. I think I'm going to stay somewhere else until you get the help that you need. It's not safe for me to be here while you're angry and I'm pregnant. I need to look out for our baby."

"So wait," said Carol, "you're leaving to be with Dave?"

"Actually, I didn't say that," said Tessa, "I said I was going to stay somewhere until John gets his help."

"I knew it was only a matter of time," said Carol. "Going to sleep with him again?"

"No," said Tessa, "I don't know where I'm going all I know is it's not safe for me to stay here."

"Tessa," said John, "you're being ridiculous. I don't know what you're trying to prove but you're not going anywhere."

"If she wants to leave let her leave, Cena," said Dave. "You don't control her."

"She is my girlfriend, she is pregnant with MY child, she's not going anywhere," he said. "But you need to get out."

"John, I want to leave," said Tessa. "I want to go where I am safe."

"Tessa, shut up. You're only carrying on because we're kicking Dave out," said John. "You're not going anywhere and you know you're safe here."

"Am I, John? My eye says different."

"That was an accident," he said.

"Whatever," said Tessa as she walked out of the kitchen with Dave, Scarlet and Zachary following behind.

"TESSA MONTGOMERY!" yelled John, "DON'T YOU GO ANYWHERE!"

"Is he serious?" asked Dave. "Are you 5?"

"No," said Tessa as she walked him to the door.

"Why do you stay with him? Why do you put up with his shit? You're better than this, Tessa. You deserve better."

"Dave, it's complicated. I am pregnant with his child. I have to be here."

"You don't have to be here. You choose to be here. You don't deserve this and I hate to see him bring you down. If you don't feel safe here then leave with me.. Please."

"Dave, I can't," said Tessa.

"Mom," said Zachary. "I think you should go."

"Zachary," said Tessa, "I'm not leaving."

"Mommy," said Scarlet, "leave with Daddy. Please?"

"Tess, please this way I know that you're safe," said Dave. "AT least until John gets his help."

"Dave," said Tessa, "I can't."

"You can," he said. "Let's go. You'll be safe with me."

"I'm not leaving my kids," she said.

"Bring them with. Let's go," said Dave.

"All right," said Tessa as she had the kids grab their jackets. "I will be right back. I need to get my purse."

"Leave it," said Dave. "It doesn't matter. If you need anything I will take care of you. Let's go."

"Okay," she said as Dave opened the door allowing Tessa and the kids to walk out first and then followed behind them. They hurried to the car and they wasted no time getting in the car. Tessa needed to go away. She needed to feel safe and with John she didn't feel safe nor did she want to put up with John's anger. It was all too much for her. The doctor told her to stay out of stressful situations and this was her way of doing it. She also didn't want to put up with Carol and her negativity. She just wanted to get away for a couple days and allow John to calm down and get the help he needed. It was no big deal for her.

John walked to the door way to see that Tessa was gone with the kids and he was beyond upset. "Damn it," he said before storming back to the kitchen.

"What's wrong?" asked Carol.

"She left," he said, "she fucking left and with my son. I'm calling the police this is kidnapping." He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket to call the police.

"John, stop… don't do that.. Zachary is her son too. The police aren't going to consider it kidnapping and Dave's name is on his birth certificate. In the eyes of the law you're not his father. And she can press charges on you for what you did."

"I'm calling the police, she has my son," he said as he continued to dial the number.

***A/N: So what did you think? Please review and thank-you for taking the time to read. **


	18. Chapter 18

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter they were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much. **

Even though John's mom told him not to make the call the to police he called and reported Tessa for kidnapping Zachary. He didn't tell the police that it was his mother that took him just that his son had been kidnapped. It didn't take long for the police to show up at the house. John answered the door and invited them in, "come in."

"We got a call about a kidnapping," said the officer.

"Yes my son was kidnapped," answered John.

"What does the boy look like?"

"He is about 3'8, dark brown hair, deep blue eyes and about 65 pounds," said John.

"Okay," said the officer as he took notes, "what happened? Do you know who took him?"

"Yes," he said, "his mother took him."

The officer stopped writing and closed the book. He looked up at John and said, "his mother?"

"Yes. His mother," he said.

"Sir, are you and the mother married?"

"No she's my girlfriend," said John. "She has my son."

"He's her son too, Sir. Do you know where she went?"

"With her ex-husband or soon to be ex-husband."

"I see," said the officer trying to understand everything being told to him. "So your girlfriend took YOUR son?"

"Yes," said John, "and I want her arrested for it and I want my son back."

"Is there some type of custody agreement in place that says she is not allowed to have him?"

"No," said John. "Can you please just arrest her and get my son back."

"I'm sorry, Sir, I can't arrest her for being a mother. If you don't' have a custody agreement in place she can take your son wherever she pleases. She is his mother and there is nothing we can do about it. She can take him whenever and wherever she wants. By law we can't stop her."

"Are you kidding me?" asked John. "She took my son."

"He's her son too and she is the mother. We cant' do anything but if there was some type of custody arrangement we could but since there isn't we can't do anything. I'm sorry."

"This is bullshit," said John. "You can't do anything?"

"We could talk to her and try to get her to bring him home but we can't force her to do anything."

"This is ridiculous," said John.

"It's the law. We are not allowed to do anything. She is his mother and it is not kidnapping if the biological mother has the child. Sorry."

"Well, can you go talk to her or something?"

"I can," said the officer, "but I can't bring your son home unless she releases the child herself to me."

"All right," said John.

"Do you know the address we can find her?"

"Yeah," said John before he rattled off the address to the officer. He was upset that the police couldn't do anything to get his son back. He thought it was useless and he was very upset that the police officer didn't side with him and was doing nothing to get Zachary back to him. In John's mind he thought Tessa could do whatever she wanted but as long as Zachary wasn't with her. He wanted him back.

"All right, we will go talk to what's her name?"

"Tessa," said John.

"All right, John, we will talk to Tessa for you but we can't make any promises."

"Okay. Thank-you," said John.

"You're welcome. Have a good day," said the officer as he walked out of the house.

John walked into the kitchen and his mom said, "So how did it go? Are they getting Zachary back?"

"No," he said, "they said they can't do anything because she is his mother and there is no custody agreement."

"Well, John, with Tessa being as crazy as she is maybe you should have a custody agreement put into place that way when she goes on her crazy escapades like running away with Dave she is not allowed to take Zachary. I mean that boy shouldn't be put in the middle like this. This has to be confusing to her kids. She's a loose cannon. Maybe you should break up with her."

"NO," said John quickly. "I will not break up with her. I love her."

"All right," said Carol, "but I guess you're just going to need to wait for Tessa to decide to bring Zachary back but I still think you're better off without her. She's crazy, John. You don't' need crazy in your life."

"I know she's crazy but I love her."

"Okay," said Carol. "As long as you love her."

"I do," said John. "I REALLY love her."

"All right," said Carol as she started to wash dishes.

Tessa, Dave and the kids arrived at Dave's apartment. Dave let them in the apartment and said, "make yourselves comfortable."

"Thanks," said Tessa as she walked into the apartment.

"You're welcome," said Dave. "Is there anything I can get you? Is everything okay with the baby?"

"I'm all right," said Tessa, "and I think the baby is all right. I'm just cramping a little bit."

"You should take it easy," said Dave, "you shouldn't be cramping. Is it bad cramping?"

"It's worse than what it should be," said Tessa.

"You need to lay down and relax," said Dave as he led her to the living room. Tessa took off her jacket and her shoes before laying down on Dave's couch. Dave did everything in his power to make her comfortable. He didn't want her to lose the baby. It wouldn't be fair to her since she had wanted to have a baby of her own for a while even before she was the surrogate for John and Ryan. "I'm going to get you a drink of water. Okay?"

"That's fine," she said before Dave walked out of the living room.

"So you're having a baby?" asked Scarlet as she leaned over the arm of the couch into her mom's face.

"Yes. I'm supposed to but we'll know after today."

"Oh," she said, "is it a boy or a girl?"

"I don't know yet," said Tessa. "And we won't know for a while."

"I want a baby sister," she said.

"I know you do," said Tessa, "but like I said we have to see how today goes. Mommy isn't feeling very well and this kind of sick can hurt the baby."

"What happens to the baby if it gets hurt by you being sick?" she asked.

"I could lose it," said Tessa honestly. She was not shielding Scarlet from the truth. Tessa had one miscarriage in her life that happened 2 years after Scarlet was born but she hardly told anyone. Scarlet and Zachary never knew neither did her parents; Dave was the only one that knew but she miscarried it. And the way Tessa was feeling at that moment she felt as if she could miscarry as much as she hoped she wouldn't she felt something was not right with the baby.

"Lose it?" asked Scarlet.

"It could go to heaven with Grammy and Grandpa," said Tessa.

"That's sad," said Scarlet. "You won't lose it will you?"

"I hope not," said Tessa as there was a knock on the door.

Dave was just about to take Tessa her water when he stopped to answer the door. He opened the door to see the police standing there. "Can I help you officer?" he asked.

"Is Tessa Montgomery-Batista here?" he asked.

"Yes. What do you need with Tessa? She's not feeling well right now."

"We have a domestic complaint from her boyfriend John Cena about her taking their child out of the home. Can we speak to her?"

"Sure," said Dave, "but she's not feeling well. Follow me." Dave led the officer to the living room and said, "Tessa, there is a police officer here to see you."

"A police officer?" asked Tessa as she sat up on the couch. "What can I do for you?"

"We got a complaint from your boyfriend about taking your son out of the house. We told him that we can't do anything about it but talk to you. By law without a custody agreement you are allowed to take your son wherever you please."

"I know," said Tessa. "John really called the police because I took my son out of that house?"

"Yes he called it kidnapping," said the officer.

"I don't believe this," said Dave shaking his head. He was shocked that John had the guts to even call the police after what he did to Tessa. It was a pretty gutsy move on his part that could turn out to bite him in the end.

"I can't really tell you too much but he would like for you to come back home."

"No," said Tessa, "I'm not going home."

"Do you see what he did to her?" asked Dave, "he punched her in the eye look at her eye and she's pregnant."

"He punched you?" asked the officer.

"Yes," said Tessa, "that's why I left. I don't feel safe there. He's getting help but I don't want to be in the house until he gets his help and I wasn't leaving my kids behind."

"I see," said the officer. "That is spousal abuse and that is a crime. Do you want to press charges on him for hitting you?"

Tessa thought long and hard about her decision. One part of her wanted to press charges out of spite because John called them on her but the other part of her didn't want to go through a whole issue with the police. It didn't seem worth it to Tessa so she said, "No. I'm not going to press charges," she said as she grabbed her stomach from the pain she was feeling.

"Are you sure?" asked the officer. "Your eye looks pretty bad."

"I'm sure. I don't' want to press charges."

"All right, well, we can't force you to take your son back to the house and you have a good reason for being out of the house. So I'm going to let you enjoy your day. Have a good afternoon."

"You too," said Tessa as she winced through the pain.

"Thank-you," said the officer as Dave escorted them to the door. He let them out and then went back to the living room.

"Tessa, that was your chance you could have pressed charges on John for what he did."

"I know I could but it's not worth it."

"It's always worth it," he said, "you should have pressed charges. He wasted no time calling the police on you."

"I know but I don't have time to file police reports and press charges. I need to go to the hospital," she said holding her stomach from the pain.

"Why?" asked Dave.

"Something isn't right with the baby. I need to go to the doctor. I don't want to lose it."

"All right," said Dave, "I will get you there."

***A/N: So what did you think? Please review and thank-you for reading. **


	19. Chapter 19

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much. **

Dave took Tessa to the hospital like she had requested but he had to bring Zachary and Scarlet along with him. They were sitting in the waiting room waiting to be called back while Tessa was in a lot of pain. "Are you bleeding?" asked Dave as he held Scarlet on his lap.

"No," said Tessa. "I'm not bleeding. I'm just cramping really bad. I shouldn't be cramping like this."

"I know," said Dave, "I'm sure everything will be okay. I think you are just really stressed with everything that happened today."

"If I lose this baby, Dave, I will never forgive John again in my life. It's his fault that I am here," she said. She blamed John for her unexpected trip to the hospital. If she was stressed it was because of him and everything he had done to her that day. Tessa was really scared about the baby. She didn't want to lose it and she was so early in her pregnancy that it was a really high possibility.

"You're not going to lose that baby," said Dave. "Just relax," he said as the nurse came through the door.

"Tessa Montgomery-Batista," she called.

"Right here," said Tessa as she stood up. She had no choice but to go to the back by herself because the kids wouldn't have been allowed back with her and if Dave went back they would have to go back. She was willing to face this situation alone.

She walked over to the nurse and the nurse handed her a cup. "I just need you to pee into this cup and then we will check you out okay?"

"Okay," said Tessa as she took the cup and went into the closest bathroom. She did what she needed to do while the nurse waited outside for her. Tessa opened the door and handed the nurse the cup.

"Thank-you," she said as she directed her to the examination room. Tessa was relieved that when she went to the bathroom she wasn't bleeding heavily just a little spotting. Spotting was normal it was if it would be heavier that she needed to worry. "So what seems to be the problem?"

"I am 6 weeks pregnant and I have some really bad cramping. I just feel like something isn't right with the baby."

"I see," said the nurse. "Any sightings of blood?"

"I'm spotting but nothing serious," said Tessa.

"Okay," she said. "Spotting is normal in the first few weeks but the cramping I'm not too sure about. I'm going to check your temperature."

"Okay," said Tessa before the nurse took her temperature.

"98.6" she said. "Now I am just going to check your blood pressure okay?"

"All right," said Tessa knowing that it was going to be elevated maybe even more than elevated.

The nurse checked Tessa's blood pressure and said, "This is not good at all. Your blood pressure is way too high. Are you under an tremendous amount of stress?"

"Yes," said Tessa.

"You can not afford to get stressed out," said the nurse. "The doctor is going to tell you the same thing. You need to avoid stressful situations if you want to carry your baby to term even now it could be too late."

"What do you mean?" asked Tessa.

"Just because you're only spotting doesn't clear the water. You are still at risk for a miscarriage."

"Oh," said Tessa sadly. It would devastate her to lose the baby although if she lost the baby she wouldn't feel so obligated to be with John and then she could be free to be with anyone she wanted to be with especially Dave. She wanted so much to call off the divorce and honor her marriage to him but with John and being pregnant she couldn't do that.

"I am going to go get the doctor and have him check you out. Okay?"

"Okay," said Tessa. "Thank-you," she said as she was handed a hospital gown to put on. She changed into the gown as she waited for the doctor to appear. She was still cramping and when she changed out of her clothes she noticed she was bleeding more heavily. She was terrified of what could happen to the baby. She waited nervously before the doctor knocked on the door. "Come in."

The doctor walked in and Tessa was not thrilled when he looked like he was about 25 years old. She thought he was too young to be a doctor but he was good looking none the less so that was a treat for her. "Hello, Mrs. Montgomery-Batista, I'm Dr. Robertson. I see you are experiencing some cramping?"

"Yes and I'm bleeding heavier than just a little spotting," she said.

"All right," he said. "Let's check you out," he said as he walked over to her and had her lay down on the hospital bed. "I see your blood pressure is elevated. That's not good."

"I know," she said. "I'm just really stressed. My boyfriend and me had a fight and it just isn't good."

"You need to stay out of stressful situations," said Dr. Robertson. "It is not good for you and it is not good for the baby. You can't afford to be stressed out."

"I know," said Tessa, "that's why I left the stressful situation and am staying somewhere until the stress is gone."

"That's a good idea," he said as he checked her out. "You are doing more than spotting. I want to do an ultrasound to make sure the baby is all right."

"Okay," she said.

The doctor prepared everything for the ultrasound while Tessa was growing more nervous. She wished that Dave was back there with her holding her hand. She didn't want to go through another miscarriage and she didn't want to face this moment alone. She was bleeding too much and things weren't looking good. The doctor began the procedure by putting a cold gel onto Tessa's stomach. He flipped on the machine and took the probe over her stomach. "All right," he said looking at the screen waiting for the baby to appear. Tessa held her breath as she waited to hear the words she wanted to hear. The doctor took the probe over her stomach until he finally found the baby. "And there it is," he said.

"Is it okay?" she asked.

"It is," he said with a smile. "I have spotted its heartbeat. Do you see that flicker?"

"Yes," said Tess as she let out a sigh of relief.

"That's its heartbeat. The baby is doing fine but I do want to keep you over night for observations. Things can still take a turn for the worst. You're not out of the water yet. I want to keep you over night to monitor your blood pressure and to keep an eye on the baby. The next 24 hours are really crucial for you and for the baby. I just want to be safe about this okay?"

"That's fine," said Tessa.

"All right," said the doctor, "and I want to give you something to bring your blood pressure down."

"That's fine," said Tessa. "Thank-you."

"You're welcome," he said as he turned off the ultrasound machine and cleaned up.

"Can you get my husband for me?" she asked. "I want him to come back here to know what's going on."

"Sure," said Dr. Robertson with a strange look. "Didn't you say you had a boyfriend?"

"I do but I am staying with my ex-husband until everything is all right."

"Okay," he said trying to understand the situation. "I will have my nurse get him and then have her get the medicine for you to bring down your blood pressure. Remember you need to stay out of stressful situations."

"I know," said Tessa, "and I will."

"I also want to give you blood pressure medicine to keep your blood pressure down throughout the pregnancy because it really concerns me at how high your pressure rose in just a few short hours. It's very crucial to keep your blood pressure down because it can cause a miscarriage, premature labor and even death during delivery."

"I will keep it down," she said. "Thank-you."

"You're welcome," he said. "I will be in later to check on you. Goodbye."

"Bye," she said with a smile as he left the room.

She was relieved that everything was all right with the baby. She understood the blood pressure concern as well as staying out of stressful situations. She was planning to do that but she wasn't sure how well that would work out. She knew she had to do her best to keep the baby healthy. About 10 minutes later Dave walked into the room with Zachary and Scarlet. "Hey," he said, "how are you feeling?"

"Better that I know the baby is okay. They want to keep me over night to observe the baby and my blood pressure. They said it's too high."

"I heard," he said, "Do you want me to call John or anything?"

"No," she said. "I don't want John to know about this. I don't even want him here. I don't need him to come here getting me stressed out. He can stay at home."

"If he stresses you out why stay with him?" asked Dave, "I mean look at you. You're in the hospital because of the stress he caused you. That can't be healthy and you have to go 9 months like this? Tessa, that's crazy."

"It may be crazy but it's the right thing."

"Causing damage to your health and your baby's health is NOT the right thing. Getting away from the problem is the right thing."

"Dave, please don't do this now. I don't want to argue. I'm not leaving John. I am staying with him."

"All right," he said. "That's your choice but I am always here for you."

"I know and thank-you," she said. "Thank-you for allowing me to stay with you."

"No problem and you can stay there as long as you'd like."

"Thanks," she said as she looked at Scarlet.

"Mommy, are you still having a baby?"

"Yes, Scarlet, I am."

"Good," she said with a smile. "Are you sick?"

"Yes but I will get better. You and Zachary are going to stay with Daddy tonight and I will be home tomorrow."

"Home?" asked Scarlet.

"I mean back at your daddy's tomorrow."

"Okay," she said. "I love you, Mommy."

"I love you too," said Tessa as Scarlet came over to hug her mom. Tessa gave her a soft kiss on the top of her head. Tessa wasn't sure what she wanted to do anymore. She was at a crossroads trying to figure out where to go from there. She felt it necessary to be with John but she also felt it necessary to be with Dave. She was willing to give John ONE more chance to do the right thing and to be a better person and if he couldn't change then she knew where she was going to need to go.

***A/N: So what did you think? Please review and thank-you for taking the time to read. **


	20. Chapter 20

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much. **

Tessa was dismissed from the hospital the next day and told to take it easy for the next couple days. The doctor was still concerned about the baby and its well being. He was also concerned for Tessa's blood pressure but that had slowly gone down over night which allowed for her to be released. He made it clear that if she experienced any more spotting or cramping she was supposed to head straight to the hospital and not to wait. He warned her once again to stay out of stressful situations especially if she wanted to carry the baby to full term. Once Tessa was released she spent about two weeks at Dave's house. It was very platonic and there was no infidelity at all. Tessa had resisted any and all temptation she felt toward being anything but friends with Dave. She wanted to but she had a point to prove to John and his mom that she could be faithful. Dave had done everything in his power to make sure that Tessa was as comfortable as possible and he waited on her hand and foot. He didn't' want Tessa doing too much and wanted her to just take it easy for herself and for her baby. Dave still loved and cared about her but like Tessa he resisted the temptation of entering into anything that would make their relationship anything but platonic. Tessa had not spoken to John at all in the two weeks she had been gone from home because she didn't want to be bothered with him not to mention he stressed her out. John had called her numerous times and left an unlimited amount of voicemails for her. Many told her how much he loved her, others told her how sorry he was for what he'd done, some begged her to come home and some were just John losing his patience with her and getting upset. Tessa didn't want to be bothered until this particular day when John had called her for the 10th time that morning. She sat on the couch watching TV with Dave when her phone went off. "Oh my Gosh," she said with annoyance.

"Is it him again?" asked Dave.

"Yes," she said.

"Answer it. Maybe he'll leave you alone if you do."

"I hope so," she said as she answered the call. "What do you want?"

"It's about time you answered, Tess. Where are you and where is my son?"

"OUR son is playing with Scarlet," she answered. "What do you want?"

"I want you to come home," he said. "I'm sorry and I called a place and I've been getting help for my anger."

"It doesn't seem to be working. You're already sounding hostile and this conversation just started."

"Tess, come on," said John. "I'm trying. I'm sorry. I just miss you. Can we at least talk?"

"We are talking," she said.

"I mean in person," he said.

"Is that a good idea?" she asked as Dave looked at her. "I mean are you that chill that you can meet with me and talk to me without yelling or hitting me?"

"Yes, Tess, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hit you and I feel terrible about it. I promise I will not yell at you or hit you. I want to make things right with you, Tess. I love you. So can we meet in person?" he asked with a pleading tone in his voice. He really wanted to talk to Tessa to make things right between them. He wanted her back in his life and he wanted her there forever.

Tessa let out a deep sigh and said, "fine. I'll meet you at the coffee shop down the street from our house in about 15 minutes."

"All right," he said. "I'll see you in 15. Bye."

"Bye," she said as she hung up the phone. She wasn't sure if meeting him was a good idea but he sounded sincere so she was going to meet with him to hear what he had to say.

"What did Romeo want?" asked Dave.

"He wants to talk so I'm going to the little coffee shop down the street from our house to talk to him."

"Is that a good idea, Tess? Isn't that going to stress you out?"

"As long as he keeps his cool I'll be all right. Can you keep an eye on the kids?" she asked.

"Sure," he said, "but be careful."

"I will," said Tessa as she got up to grab her jacket. "I will be back," she said before walking out the door. She walked out of the apartment building walked the block and a half to the coffee shop since her car was still at her home. It was a cold day but not too cold to walk but the coolness of the air was helping her clear her head.

She reached the coffee shop and walked into the door. John had yet to arrive so she walked over to the counter and ordered herself a chocolate chip bagel and a cup of milk since she was unable to drink coffee. When she got her order she walked over to a table and sat down waiting for John to arrive. About 5 minutes later John walked in the door. He spotted her immediately and walked over to the table. "Hey," he said as he took a seat.

"Hey," she said as she took a bite of her bagel.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Tired, hungry the usual pregnancy stuff," she said. "What about you?"

"I feel like shit, Tessa. I haven't slept since you left. I miss you so much. And I feel like such an asshole for what I did to you. I didn't mean to hit you. That was an accident and I realize I have an anger problem. I have been going to get help. They're helping me learn how to channel my anger and eventually they're going to help me eliminate getting angry. I don't know what was wrong with me, Tess. I just got so angry and I couldn't explain it. I have no idea why I was so angry because I am really happy that you and me are having a baby. I'm scared that I could lose you but I shouldn't have been angry about it. I'm sorry. How is the baby?"

"It's all right," she said taking a sip of milk. "I'm glad you realize you have an anger problem but that's no excuse to hit me."

"I know and I'm sorry," he said.

"You know, John, I don't want to be that woman that gets hit and then accepts an apology only for it to happen again. It won't happen again right?"

"It won't. I promise," he said as he watched her eat the bagel. "Are you hungry?"

"Yeah," she said. "I am pregnant and it's a blessing that I still am."

"What does that mean?" he asked.

"That day when I left I went to the hospital because I was bleeding and cramping."

"What?" he asked shocked that he was just now hearing about this. "Why didn't you call me?"

"Because it was you stressing me out that caused me to go there. I didn't want you there making it worse so Dave went with me."

"I figured," he said. "Is that where you've been staying?"

"Yes," she said.

"You slept with him didn't you?" he asked.

"No, John, I didn't. I told you I'm not going to cheat on you. Why can't you and your mom understand that? I know I made mistakes in the past but I would never do that to you again. I promise."

"I don't know," he said. "I know you love him."

"I do love him but I also love you. I'm with you and only you, John, but I'm telling you if one more bad thing happens to me or my daughter I'm going to need to leave and do what's best for us. I can't be in a position where my child is hurt or that I am hurt and everything be okay. This is the last chance I'm giving you."

"Okay," he said, "Thank-you."

"You're welcome," she said.

"So what happened with the hospital and the baby?"

"The doctor told me to stay out of stressful situations and wanted me to take it easy for a few days. He said everything looks good with the baby but he's concerned about my blood pressure. He said it is too high and it rises too quickly which could be crucial but he gave me some medicine to help me with that. He said the baby is doing good."

"That's good," said John. "So we're really having a baby?"

"We're really having a baby," she said.

"Good," he said. "What Z name can we come up with for this one? We have Zola, Zachary, Zaiden and Zuri. What about Zoe for a girl and Zander for a boy?" he asked as he was getting excited about the baby finally.

"Um.. No.. no more Z names," she said. "No offense but that was Ryan's thing and Zachary only got his name from his godfather Zach Ryder. We'll talk about names later on.. But right now lets focus on you getting the help you need, let me get through the first trimester and then we can move but if we are throwing names out there how about Ramona for a girl?"

"You and your literary names," he said with a smile. "I love you."

"I love you too," she said with a smile.

"Tessa," said John as he looked into her deep blue eyes.

"Yes?"

"I've been thinking about us and with you being gone it made me realize I don't want to live without you. I can't live without you. I need you in my life. You are everything to me and I love you so much. I don't want to go through this life without you by my side forever and I don't ever want to live without you again. I love you and I love to wake up to you everyday and I want to do that forever," he said.

"John," said Tessa looking at him with her deep blue eyes. "What are you trying to say?" Her heart was pounding in her chest and the bagel she just ate was trying to make its way back up as she listened to his words. He loved her so much but she wasn't sure if she loved him that much… she knew he loved her more than she loved him. Her stomach was in knots and butterflies were flying thru it as John reached into his pocket for something.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is this," he said pulling out a small ring box and opening it in front of her, "Will you marry me?"

"Marry you?" she asked.

"Yeah," he said, "marry me. Will you be my wife, Tessa?"

Tessa thought about the question at hand and her heart felt like it was in her throat. She tried to find the words to say but she couldn't all she could do was cry. Her eyes filled up with tears soon to be released and rolling down her cheek. She finally had her answer and said, "yes, John, I'll marry you." She wasn't even sure about her answer. The word yes had just came out and before she knew it John was slipping the ring onto her finger.

"I love you," he said with a smile before he leaned over the table and softly kissed her lips. Tessa couldn't believe she said yes and she couldn't believe John and her were engaged again. She wasn't ready for an engagement.

***A/N: So what did you think? Please review and thank-you for reading. **


	21. Chapter 21

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. they were greatly appreciated. thank-you all so much. **

John drove Tessa back to Dave's apartment so that she could get the kids but the car ride was done in silence. Tessa looked out the window as it had started to rain and watched the rain drops hit the window. The clouds were doing everything she wanted to do at that moment; cry, she just wanted to cry her eyes out. She never understood herself and why she said yes when she clearly had no desire to marry John. She used to be so cautious when making decisions now it just seemed she was making decisions on impulse and that they were stupid decisions at that. John on the other hand was on cloud 9 and as happy as could be. He was ready to marry Tessa it had been a long time dream of his and now it was finally happening. He smiled as he pulled up in front of Dave's apartment. "Want me to go in with you?" asked John.

"No," said Tessa, "That will only cause issues and you know it."

"I just want to see his face when he finds out we're engaged," said John with a smile. He wanted to rub it in Dave's face that he had won Tessa and that she would no longer be his. John was ready to throw it all in Dave's face that he had won the feud.

"Exactly which is why you're not going in. You just want to start trouble. I know you, John. I will be back. I'm going to get Zachary and Scarlet…alone," she said as she got out of the car.

Before she shut the door John said, "And don't let him brainwash you into changing your decision."

"I will be right back," she said rolling her eyes and shutting the door. John's words irritated her, just looking at him irritated her. She walked into the building and made her way up to Dave's apartment. She knocked on the door and waited for him to answer.

He opened the door and said, "come in."

"Thanks," she said calmly and quietly. "I am here to get the kids."

"Get the kids?" he asked as he shut the door.

"Yeah. I'm going back to John's house."

"John's house? It is your house well for some time anyway."

"I know but I just feel…you know what can you get them for me. I'm ready to go," she said trying to avoid any type of conversation with Dave.

"Are you okay? You're being pretty cold to me right now."

"I'm fine," she said. "Can you please get them?"

"Tess, you were fine until you went to meet John now you're acting like this. Something happened. Did he hit you again?"

"No," said Tessa.

"Did he threaten you?"

"No," said Tessa. "He didn't. Can you please get the kids so I can go?"

"All right," he said looking at her strangely. He didn't understand her coldness all of a sudden. Before she left she almost seemed like she was ready to stay with him and give up on John now it was the other way around. He didn't understand until he looked down at her left hand and saw the rock on her finger. He felt his heart sink into his stomach as he looked at the diamond ring she wore on her finger. It was no where as nice as the ring he had given her but it was a nice ring. Her left ring finger had been vacant for over a year and now there sat a diamond ring from a man that Dave knew wasn't good enough to be Tessa's husband. It was from a man that Dave despised and didn't understand how Tessa couldn't see through is false ways. "I get it. I see what it is now.. Why, Tessa?"

"Why what?" she asked knowing full well what Dave was talking about.

"You know what I'm talking about. That engagement ring on your finger. You're going to marry him?" he asked.

"That's the plan," she said with a deep sadness in her voice.

"But you don't want to," he said.

"I didn't say that," she said as she looked at him.

"You don't have to. I know you. You don't want to marry him," he said.

"Dave, I didn't say that," she said again knowing that Dave was right. She didn't want to marry John.

"Tess, I see the sadness in your eyes. You don't want to marry him. So why did you say yes?" he asked.

"It's complicated, Dave."

"What is complicated about it? If you don't want to marry him all you have to do is say no. Why do you put yourself in conflicting situations? This happened before you didn't want to marry him but you felt obligated to say yes.. Tess if you don't want to do something then don't do it. This is what I mean about you, Tess," he said.

"What about me?" asked Tessa. "What do you mean about me?" She asked as she felt the anger and sadness building up inside.

"Whenever you're with John you are this submissive woman that does stuff to make everyone else happy but yourself. You never really want to do what you're asked but you do it anyway to please people. You act like you don't have a mind of your own and act like you have no independence. You are a different person.. You're not yourself. You are not dependent and you are not submissive. You are not this person unless you're with John."

"Maybe this is just who I am, Dave," she said. "Maybe I am a submissive person, maybe I do like to please people," she said.

"No, Tessa that's not who you are. You are submissive and you please people but you're never happy because you're not doing what you want. When you were with me you were so happy. You had the job you wanted working as a magazine editor, then you became an author, you had the kids you wanted and you were happy but now Tessa I don't even know you. You're not happy. You're so sad you don't even realize it. You can put a smile on your face but your eyes say it all. You're not happy."

"I have the job I want now," she said. "I'm still an author."

"For now until John uses his over dominant power on you and you change your mind about that too. John makes you lose sight of yourself and makes you forget who you are. He's not good for you, Tessa. Please don't do this.. Once you marry him you will never be the same. You could lose yourself completely."

"Dave, I am not going to lose myself. Why does it bother you so much if I marry John? I am having his baby, we're moving to West Newbury… it is only fitting that we marry," she said. She knew Dave was right about John but she felt so obligated to John that she couldn't say no.

"Why does it bother me?" he asked. "Because I don't' want to see you ruin yourself and become lost. I don't want to see a woman that has so much potential and so much talent let it go to waste to be a stay at home mom and get beat up by a man she thinks loves her."

"John is getting help for his anger," she said, "he isn't going to hit me again."

"You don't' know that, Tessa. John is a coward. You don't know what he is capable of."

"He isn't going to hurt me anymore, Dave," she said.

"And I don't want to see you marry him because I love you. I still love you, Tessa. I think this whole separation has been a mistake and filing for divorce was a mistake. I love you and neither of us are happy. I am miserable without you and I know you're miserable without me. I love you, Tessa. Please don't marry John. Please.. We can work this out," said Dave. "Come on. We still have time."

Tessa wanted to cry but she held it in. She had waited to hear Dave say those words but it was too late now. It was over. They would never be together again. "Dave," she said.

"Tess, come on.. Let's call off the divorce, get Romeo to move to West Newbury, we move back in together and live happily ever after," he said. "I love you, Tessa and I don't want to lose you."

"Dave, there is no such thing as happily ever after. This isn't a fairytale. Life isn't a fairytale. There is no happily ever after it's only make believe. We're not Snow White and Prince Charming. Dave, I have waited so long to hear you say those words but now it's too late."

"It is never too late, Tessa. Please rethink you're decision."

"Dave, I can't. I have to marry John. I love you but I have to marry him and I think that John and me moving to West Newbury is the best thing for us.. That way I don't do anything stupid," she said.

"Do anything stupid?" asked Dave, "what is that supposed to mean?"

"You know what I mean," said Tessa. "I know that if I stay here I'm going to end up sleeping with you and cheating on John. I can't do that. I don't want to do that. I have to go to West Newbury and marry John."

"No, Tessa, you don't. You can break up with John and come back with me. I will never make you unhappy. You deserve to be happy. Think about it."

"There isn't anything to think about," said Tessa, "it's what I have to do. I'm sorry," she said as she walked to get the kids.

"No.. that's John telling you it's what you have to do. Do what you want to do. Do what makes you happy," he said as he followed her down the hall.

"Dave, I'm done with this conversation. I have to go," she said as she reached Scarlet's bedroom door. "Zachary and Scarlet it's time to go. We have to go home and pack."

"Pack?" asked Scarlet. "Are we moving in with daddy?"

"No.. we're moving to West Newbury. We need to start packing because John wants to leave in two weeks," she said.

"I don't want to go to West Newbury. I don't want to leave Daddy and you shouldn't either," said Scarlet.

"Scarlet," said Dave. "West Newbury will be fun. I will be there to visit."

"I want to stay in New York. I don't want to go to West Newbury. Daddy, don't let her take me," she said.

"I'm sorry, Scarlet," he said. "Your mommy has a great life planned out. You'll have fun."

"It's not fair," she said.

"I'm sorry," said Dave. "I really am. It's better you stay with Mommy."

"But daddy," she said with tears in her eyes. "I'm going to miss you."

"There is nothing to miss. I will call you everyday and I will visit you every weekend. You don't have to miss me," he said. "It will be okay."

"All right, Daddy," she said as she gave him a hug. "I love you."

"I love you too, Daddy," she said as she hugged him back.

"And Zachary, you take care. I love you too," said Dave.

"I love you," said Zachary before Tessa escorted the kids out of the room and down the hallway to the front door.

"So I guess this is it," said Dave. "Your mind is made up."

"It is," she said. "I know what I want to do."

"I guess I can't change your mind?" he asked.

"No," said Tessa as she felt Scarlet pull at the ring on her finger.

"That's a pretty ring, Mommy. Where did you get it?"

"We'll talk about that later. Right now it's time to go home," said Tessa.

"All right, Mommy," she said. "Bye Daddy."

"Bye, Scarlet," he said. "And Tessa, I hope you know what you're doing."

"I do," said Tessa as she opened the door. "Bye," she said as she walked out with the kids. Dave shut the door behind her and slid his back down the door as he sat on the floor. He felt like a defeated man. He loved Tessa but she was never going to change her mind. John had some type of power over her that made her do the things she did and Dave had no idea why. It was something he couldn't figure out but he knew everything in his life was about to change as the only woman he truly loved was marrying another man and moving to West Newbury and taking their child with her. He hated every minute of it and he hated the fact he had lost her. He wished he had fought harder and that he would have spoke sooner and then things would be different. He felt bad for Tessa because she was becoming a prisoner in her own life.

***A/N: So what did you think? Please review and thank-you for reading. **


	22. Chapter 22

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much. **

About two weeks later John, Tessa and the kids had left New York to live in their new home in West Newbury. Tessa was filled with mixed emotions as she entered the home that she grew up in that once belonged to her parents. They wasted no time moving into the home as it had been vacant since her parents' death. John and Tessa had a lot of work to do ahead of them as they still had to unpack everything and get everything set up. It seemed like a tiring task for Tessa as she was pregnant and was more tired than usual. "Where does this box go?" asked John as he held a box of Scarlet's things.

"In Scarlet's room," said Tessa. "My old bedroom."

"I told Zola she could have your old room," said John.

"I'd prefer if Scarlet had it. I mean after all it is MY old room," said Tessa as she went through a box of stuff for the living room to unpack it.

"Why does it matter? It's just an old room," he said.

"An old room that has a lot of sentimental meaning to me," she said. "I spent some of the best days in that room. I want Scarlet to have it. Zola can have the room across from her."

"How about Zola and Scarlet just share a room and we call it a day?" suggested John.

Tessa stopped unpacking and stood up to look at John and said, "I think not. Not with the way Zola treats Scarlet. I would be scared Zola might try to suffocate her or something like that. The room is Scarlet's."

"Why because she's YOUR daughter?" asked John.

"Exactly and plus it is MY old room."

"And I bought the house," said John. "I think I should choose the bedrooms."

"John, why can't you just let Scarlet have the room and be done with it? It's a stupid thing to argue about."

"Fine give Scarlet the room," he said. "I'll give Zola the room across the hall."

"Thank-you," said Tessa with a smile as she went back to unpacking.

"No problem," said John as he headed upstairs to put the box in Scarlet's room before going back downstairs to help Tessa out with some of the living room things to be unpacked because he didn't want her doing it all alone. "So are you enjoying being home?"

"It's okay," she said not really sure of how she felt. She missed New York and she missed the life she had in New York. New York was more upbeat than the suburban town of West Newbury. New York had an edge to it while West Newbury was quiet and everyone seemed to know everyone. "I mean we've only been here for a day."

"I like it. I think it's a change of pace for us. We're not in that hostile environment. Our kids are safer and the private schools are better. I think it's a peaceful change and my mom is right next door."

"It is really peaceful but I'm used to New York and the craziness. My job is in New York," she said. "And I plan to drive down there at least 3 times a week to work when I get back to it which I plan on doing soon. I'm ready to write another book."

"Tess," said John, "why do you need to run all the way back to New York to write. You can write here."

"My publisher is in New York and so is my publicist," she said.

"So fax them the stuff and let them handle it. I need you at home with Zaiden and Zuri while I'm out working. You can write in your dad's old office."

"John, I would rather write in New York," she said. "That is where I drew all my inspiration."

"Scarlet was your inspiration," he said. "Is Scarlet living here?"

"Yes," she said, "but.."

"But nothing as long as your inspiration is here then you don't need to be there," he said.

"Speaking of inspiration Scarlet gave me a great idea," said Tessa as she thought Scarlet's bullying idea.

"Oh yeah? What was that?" he asked.

"She wants me to write about bullies. I think that's a good idea… bullying really sucks and I think kids and ADULTS should learn NOT to be bullies," she said putting emphasis on adults as her way to tell John to stop being a bully without actually telling him to stop bullying her. He was trying to bully her into being a stay at home mom which is something Tessa NEVER wanted. Tessa was a career woman and she planned to keep it that way. She had been out too long from her job as it was she wasn't going to walk away from it forever.

"Oh," he said getting her hint so he decided to keep his mouth shut. "That sounds like a good book."

"Yeah," she said. "You know the good thing about being in West Newbury is that we can bring the baby home into a better environment than we would in New York. I mean this is a great place to raise our family it did us good so maybe it will do our kids good," she said.

"Exactly. Little John will love it here as will the rest of our kids," he said with a smile.

"Little John?" asked Tessa. "I don't think so."

"You don't want to name a boy after me?"

"I want our son to have his own identity if we have a boy and besides I wanted to honor my father by naming him Charles I mean if it is a boy."

"I will give you that Charles Anthony for a boy," he said.

"I love it," she said with a smile, "but I was thinking Charles Bennett. Bennett was my mom's maiden name. So our son would honor my mother and my father. Charles Bennett Montgomery-Cena."

"I like that too," he said. "And for a girl?" he asked.

"I don't know Katherine after my mother. Katherine Daisy or Daisy Katherine. My mom always liked the name Daisy. She said if I would have had a baby sister she would have named her Daisy."

"I like Daisy," he said with a smile. "Very old fashioned but cute."

"I know," she said, "just like Scarlet."

"I like it," he said. "See picking names out wasn't that bad was it?"

"No but it's just all so soon."

"Well, the baby should already have a name," he said as they continued to unpack.

After they had unpacked all the living room stuff and got it set up Tessa went upstairs to take a nap because she was worn out. While she was upstairs napping John's mom came over for a visit which would be something she planned on doing often to check in on things with John and Tessa. John opened the door and she said, "Welcome to the neighborhood."

"Thanks," he said inviting her in.

She walked to the living room and looked around. "This looks nice," she said. "I like it."

"It was all Tessa's idea," he said.

"I see. She should decorate houses or something other than writing."

"She loves to write," said John. "She plans on going back to New York 3 times a week to write."

"That's ridiculous. She can write here,' she said, "Where is Tessa?"

"Taking a nap," said John. "This pregnancy has her extra tired."

"I see," she said, "and the kids?"

"They're at Matt's house while Tessa and I get some work done in the house. We only did the living room and our room so far. I want to work on Zola's room in a little bit."

"Oh," she said. "You know you did the right thing by getting Tessa up here."

"I know," said John. "She spent two weeks with Dave."

"And I bet they slept together. Getting her away from him was the best thing you could have done. Now that temptation isn't there and you can't afford to let her go back to New York 3 times a week where she can run into him. You have to convince her to stay here."

"I'll try. You think I want Batista to win her again?"

"I know you don't," she said. "And proposing to her was perfect. I bet Dave was pissed."

"I don't know, Tessa never said anything."

"Well, like I said you did the right thing by getting her out of New York and away from Dave," said his mother.

"I know," he said, "that was the plan. If only Scarlet wasn't his daughter and then he would truly be out of our lives."

"Well, you can't change that," she said. "Maybe he will get tired of traveling to see her and just sign his rights away."

"I doubt that after what happened with his son Max he isn't signing any rights away or giving up being a father. I think he will forever be in our lives."

"I guess you're right but it's okay because you have Tessa right where you want her so you have nothing to worry about."

"I guess," said John.

"You do," she said, "So when is my grandchild due?"

"October 12th," said John. "We picked names out for the baby."

"Oh really? What are they?"

"Charles Bennett for a boy and Daisy Katherine for a girl," he said half heartedly. He had a false enthusiasm when discussing the names with Tessa because he really didn't care for either name choice.

"Charles is okay but why not John?"

"She wants to honor her father," he said.

"And Daisy? I don't like it how about something more common like Haylie or Zoey?"

"I like Zoey but she wants Daisy."

"It's your child too. I think you have a say," she said. "When did Tessa start ruling the house and naming the children. You didn't get to name Zachary so it's only fitting you name this baby."

"I know," he said. "I'll work on it with her.. I mean I got this far with her didn't I?"

"Yeah," she said. "Keep up whatever you're doing and you'll have either a son named John or a daughter named Zoey. Whatever you're doing is working so keep it up."

"I plan too," he said with sly smile. "I plan to."

***A/N: So what did you think? Please review and thank-you for reading. **


	23. Chapter 23

***Thank-you for all the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much. **

Over the next couple weeks John and Tessa got everything unpacked and they were all settled into the house. It had finally started to feel like a home as there was a place for everything and furniture. It took a while but they managed to get everything together and the kids all loved it except for Scarlet who seemed to have a hard time adjusting to the change. Tessa felt so bad for her and wanted to do whatever she could to help her. Tessa was starting to grow to hate her life. She hated everything about it. She was tired of John's mom popping in on them everyday to make sure they were doing all right. She always said she was coming to help but Tessa knew she was coming over to be nosey and she hated every visit she made. She was always making suggestions to Tessa on how to do something or how she should arrange furniture. Tessa hated it. Tessa was an adult she didn't need to be told how to decorate her house or anything else. Carol even intervened when it came to the children. She literally told Tessa that Scarlet was being a brat about the whole move and that she should ignore her. It was driving Tessa crazy.

John had gone to pick the kids up from school while Tessa stayed at home with Zaiden and Zuri and since they were down for a nap she sat in the living room reading as John and the kids entered the house. "Mommy!" yelled Scarlet as she ran into the living room.

"Hello," said Tessa as she was greeted with a hug. "How was school?"

"It was okay. I miss my old school," she said. "And my old friends. I don't have any friends here," she said as the other kids came into the living room followed by John.

"Scarlet, you'll make new friends just give it some time," said Tessa, "you've only been there for a week."

"But Zachary has a lot of friends," she said sadly. "I don't have any. No one wants to talk to me. No one even wants to play with me at recess. I'm never going to make friends."

"You will," said Tessa as she hugged Scarlet. "Trust me you'll make lots of friends someday." Tessa couldn't help but notice how much Scarlet reminded her of herself. She was about Scarlet's age when she moved to West Newbury and she went to the same school Scarlet and the other children attended but like Scarlet she didn't have much luck in the friends department. Tessa felt really bad for Scarlet because she had been there and the last thing she wanted was for her daughter to go through the same thing.

"She's a dork," said Zola. "No one is going to be friends with a dork."

"Zola," said Tessa, "that's not very nice. She is not a dork. She is a wonderful little girl. We don't call each other names."

"Mommy," said Scarlet as she sat down beside Tessa, "she is right. I am a dork. No one wants to be friends with the dork."

"Scarlet, you're not a dork," said Tessa as she wrapped her arm around her little girl.

"Yes, Mommy, I am a dork. It's okay. I know I am a dork," she said as she got up to go up to her room. "I'm going to my room."

"All right," said Tessa as she watched her little girl get up slowly and walk up the stairs slowly.

Zola let out a laugh and said, "what a crybaby."

"She is a little girl," said Tessa. "Stop calling her names. No one calls you names as much as they may want to. They don't' call you names so don't call her names. She's having a hard enough time in school and with the move that she doesn't need her family calling her names. Maybe you should try to be a little nicer to her. Would you like it if I called you a dork?"

"I wouldn't care what you call me," she said with an attitude.

"I doubt that," said Tessa. "So instead of being a bully to Scarlet why don't you try to be a big sister and help her out."

"She is NOT my sister just like you're NOT my mother. I don't have to listen to you and you can't tell me what to do."

"I may not be your mother but I am your boss and whether you want to you will respect me. I am tired of your disrespect and I'm tired of you acting like you can do whatever you want," said Tessa.

Zola gave Tessa a look that sent chills through Tessa's body. It was a look of death. If looks could kill Tessa was sure she would have been dead. "You can't talk to me like that."

"I can talk to you however I want," said Tessa. She wasn't going to back down from an 8 ½ year old. John may be willing to back down from Zola and let her do what she wanted but Tessa was not going to allow it to happen. "You walk around this house acting like you're the queen or that you're in charge around here. You are 8 ½ years old. You are not an adult and you can't go around getting smart with adults. You need to learn to keep your mouth shut."

"Tessa," said John, "that's enough."

"No, John, it's not enough. You let her do whatever she wants. My daughter comes home from school upset because she doesn't have friends and your daughter makes it worse. You don't' say anything so I will. She is not the boss around here. She's not going to treat my daughter like trash. It's not going to happen," said Tessa.

"You shouldn't be getting upset with the baby," said John. "You need to calm down."

"And you need to be a father," said Tessa. "Do your job and I wouldn't have to be upset."

"Hello," said Zola, "you were talking to me."

"See what I mean? Zola go to your room. Just go," said Tessa.

"No," she said. "I'm not going to my room and I hope you die just like my mom died when she had Zaiden because I hate you. And I hope that baby dies too."

Tessa felt a rage inside of her like she never felt before and before she knew it her hand had hit Zola's cheek. A loud slap filled the air. She had never once laid her hand on her children. She was not that type of person. She never had to resort to physical punishment with any of her children but Zola stepped way over the line by telling her that she hoped she died. Tessa was shocked by her own actions and even Zola was shocked. She instantly grabbed her cheek and grew tears in her eyes but in her eyes there wasn't sadness there was anger and a hatred. A hatred for Tessa. "I am sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to…"

"Zola, go to your room. Zachary go to your room. I need to talk to Tessa," said John. The kids wasted no time hurrying up the stairs. Zachary was in shock that his mom had actually hit Zola in the face and Zola was just angry and upset about it. If she didn't hate Tessa before she hated her now and if she hated her before she hated her more. "Tessa, what the hell is going on? Now you're hitting kids?"

"John, I didn't mean to.. It's just…"

"It's just nothing, Tessa, if I hit Scarlet you would be pissed off. You got pissed when I hit you. You hitting Zola is just as bad."

"I told you I didn't mean it. It's just what she said."

"She's 8 ½ years old. You had no right to hit her. She is a child. I can't believe you, Tessa."

"I can't believe that you just stand there and allow her to talk to me anyway she wants. Telling me she hopes I die and that baby dies. How does that make you feel?"

"She didn't mean it," said John. "She is a little girl."

"She is a bully," said Tessa. "Constantly picking on Scarlet and now wishing death on me. She is out of control and you don't set any type of boundaries."

"She is just voicing how she feels, Tessa. This hasn't been easy for her."

"I understand that," said Tessa. "I know this hasn't been easy for her but does that mean you have to let her do what she wants and that she can talk to me however she wants. If you want us to be together and you want this to work we have got to work together with the kids and set boundaries if we don't we will never work out."

"And hitting children isn't working together."

"I know but I didn't mean it. I am sorry," said Tessa, "I am just tired of the way she acts."

"But it's okay for Scarlet to walk around here with her bratty attitude about how much she misses New York and how much she hates her school but my daughter can't tell you how she feels."

"Scarlet is adjusting. She has been ripped away from everything she's known and from her father. This isn't easy for her."

"And Zola is going through the same thing."

"But Zola was like this before we moved and it's always an excuse with her. She hurts my daughter and it's okay because she has problems. Everything she does is an easy pass. My daughter may be upset or hurt that we moved away from New York but at least she knows her boundaries and knows how to respect adults. I can't do this John and I'm not going to do it. I hate it here as much as Scarlet does. I hate it here. I don't want to be here," said Tessa. She could no longer hold back how she felt. "I hate your mom always intervening in our lives and her daily visits. I hate her suggestions and I hate living here. I want to go back to New York. I want to live the life I used to live. I don't want to be here. I worked all my life to get out of this crappy town and I did and now here I am right back here. I hate it here. I always have," she said with tears in her eyes. "I hate it."

"Tess," said John suddenly feeling sorry for Tessa. He never knew she felt that way and felt bad for even buying the house suggesting they live there. "I'm sorry. I am so sorry. I didn't know you felt this way about West Newbury. I just thought that moving here would give us a sense of home, take us out of the craziness of New York. I never thought that it would upset you like this. I am sorry."

"I love New York. West Newbury for me hasn't always been a place of happiness. I went through hell here. At the elementary school I never had friends. I was always picked on. I had no friends, John. I don't want Scarlet to go through the same thing. I never had friends except for you and your brothers. I was the dorky girl that no one wanted to be friends with. The day I got out of here was the best day of my life. I should have told you and I'm sorry. I just thought that moving here would make us closer because I just feel like we're not as close as we should be."

"Tess, I feel the same way. I don't know what it is but we're just not in sync with one another. I thought us coming here would bring us together and make us feel like a family but I don't. I feel the same way I did in New York. I don't know, Tessa. I just feel like we're always fighting and never getting along."

"We are always fighting and it's always because we want different things or because of the kids. I do one thing you do another. We need to work together. I love you, John but I can't keep going on like this. I know I hate it here but that can change if we can just change some things and just work together to make everything okay. I don't want the life where we fight everyday. I want a house of love and right now it's just not a house of love. It's hostility and hatred. That means you, that means me and the kids.. We need to be all about love and getting along with one another. Can we work together so we can make this work because if we don't we'll never make it."

"I know," he said. "I understand. I'm sorry. We'll work together and we'll make this work. It has to work. I'll make sure that we work."

"That's all I ask and I'm sorry about Zola. I really am. I don't even know what happened. I just got so angry that it happened."

"Honestly, I would have slapped her too if you didn't do it. I don't want you to die and I don't want the baby to die. I was just shocked that it happened. I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too," she said. "I love you, John."

"I love you too," he said as he softly kissed her lips. John knew that Tessa was right. Their home lacked love and it seemed like they were always fighting. He needed to work with her to change things. If he wanted Tessa to stay with him and be his wife he needed to do what she asked. He didn't want to risk losing her. .

***A/N: So what did you think? Please review and thank-you for reading. **


	24. Chapter 24

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much. **

A few days later John was out to lunch with his mom while Tessa stayed at home with Scarlet, Zola, Zachary, Zaiden and Zuri. She had been invited to go out with John and his mom but she chose not to because she was starting her new book about bullying; the one Scarlet had suggested. She had no interest of being out with John and his mom so while she was writing Zola and Scarlet were upstairs playing tea party. They had been getting along as of late ever since Tessa slapped Zola in the face. It was all quiet in the Cena household giving Tessa enough time to write.

Meanwhile John was out with his mom talking to her about Tessa and the kids. "So how is everything going?" asked Carol before taking a bite of her spaghetti.

"Things are okay," said John. "I'm worried about Tessa. She hates it here."

"Why?" she asked.

"She thinks you meddle too much and plus something about never having friends here," said John. "I'm not sure. I think she's just overreacting."

"I don't meddle I just look out for my son to make sure she isn't cheating on him again. I think she is just looking for an excuse to go back to New York to see Dave. That's all it is. She doesn't have a problem with West Newbury she is just looking for an out."

"I don't know. She is really unhappy lately. She's always moping around and sad. I think we should go back to New York."

"Don't you dare, John. That's just what she wants. Don't you dare go back to New York especially if you don't want her sleeping with Dave again."

"But I don't know if it's a good thing to keep Tessa unhappy," he said. "That could backfire in my face."

"It's only been 2 weeks she'll come around. Honestly. I don't know what it is with her and Scarlet. They act like such divas and little brats. It always has to be their way or no way," she said. "How is Scarlet doing?"

"Cries every night for her dad and for New York. She really hates it here. I almost feel bad for her. She doesn't like her school, she doesn't like the house and she doesn't like me."

"I'm sure she likes you," said Carol.

"No she doesn't. She blames me for the move. She hates me with a passion," said John. "I try to give this kid a better life and that's the thanks she gives me."

"She's like her father and her mother. She seems to have their bad traits. Is she ever happy?"

"Only when we were in New York," said John. "I don't know. Tessa has her spoiled and now she realizes she's not getting her way she's upset. That is all Tessa's fault."

"How is she going to react when Tessa has the baby?" she asked.

"Who knows. Probably jealous because she won't be mommy's favorite anymore. I mean after all Tessa did make a whole book series about Scarlet and she has to buy her the best of everything. Scarlet is really spoiled by Tessa and sometimes I feel like Zola doesn't get enough attention from Tessa."

"Tessa doesn't like Zola," said Carol. "It's evident."

"She slapped her in the face the other day."

"What?" asked Carol. "Why on earth would she do that to that poor little girl?" asked Carol.

"I don't know. She said it was an accident. Zola said something to her and next thing you know Tessa just slapped her in the face."

"My goodness," said Carol. "Tessa shouldn't be punishing Zola. That's not her child. If you would slap Scarlet in the face Tessa would have a fit and Dave would be after you in a second."

"I wouldn't put my hands on Scarlet," said John. "But I know what you're saying. Scarlet seems to get away with everything while Zola can't even voice her opinion. It's terrible."

"Do you think you should leave Tessa alone with the kids? I mean is she stable?"

"I don't' know. I think she is."

"But you're not sure," said Carol. "Maybe Tessa should be the one getting help for her anger. That's crazy. I still can't believe she hit a little girl."

"I know, Mom. I know."

"Did you two come up with different baby names?" she asked.

"NO. Tessa still wants Charles and Daisy. I want Zoey and John," he said.

"It's your baby too. She can't control everything. John, you're the man of the house. I think you need to get control."

"Tessa doesn't live like that," he said. "She said it's an equal relationship."

"Tessa is a feminist," said Carol. "It doesn't matter. I'm just worried about those children. Did she ever slap Scarlet before?"

"No," said John. "She never laid a hand on a child before. Just Zola."

"She probably doesn't like Zola because she's Ryan's daughter and she didn't like Ryan."

"I don't like Dave but that doesn't mean I'm going to treat Scarlet like an outcast," he said. "I don't know. I just feel like I don't know Tessa anymore. She is not the woman I thought she was maybe I should call off the engagement."

"You do what you need to do," said Carol. "Do you really love her, John or is this about taking her from Dave?"

"I don't know," he said. "I really don't know. I do love her but there is an extra joy in knowing I took her from Dave."

"All right," she said. "Just make sure Zola is safe with her."

"I do," said John. "I do especially after she hit her."

"Good," she said. "I would hate to see anything happen to any of those children."

While John was out with his mom and Tessa was working on her book Scarlet and Zola were in Scarlet's room playing tea party. Tessa was in the middle of writing her book when Zachary burst into her office in a panic. "Mom!"

"What's wrong, Zachary?" she asked immediately after hearing the fear in his voice.

"Come quick! There's something wrong with Scarlet," he said in a panic.

"What?" asked Tessa. "What's wrong with her?"

"She's sick. She's laying on the ground choking and white stuff is coming out of her mouth. MOM Come quick!" he said.

Tessa wasted no time getting up She rushed up the stairs to Scarlet's room to see Scarlet laying on the floor choking like Zachary had said, "Scarlet, Mommy is here.. What's wrong?" Scarlet couldn't answer her. She kept choking and the white stuff kept coming out of her mouth. Tessa sat Scarlet up so she would stop choking and looked at Zola who was just sitting at the table looking at her nails. Scarlet continued to throw up and she was almost unresponsive. "Scarlet," said Tessa with tears in her eyes. "What did you do, Zola? What did you do to my daughter?"

"I didn't do anything," she said.

"I find that hard to believe. What happened?"

"I don't know," said Zola as she continued to look at her fingernails without a care in the world.

"Zachary, call 911, Please," she said in a panic. She didn't have time to argue with Zola. Scarlet's life was at stake. "Scarlet, Baby please answer me," she said as Scarlet continued to throw up in her hand. Scarlet did not look good at all. Her eyes were glazing over and she was sweating profusely. Tessa had tears in her eyes and fear in her heart. She wasn't sure if Scarlet was going to make it. Zachary called 911 at his mother's command. "Scarlet," said Tessa. "Please don't leave me. Please," she said begging her with tears in her eyes. She was so scared.

"An ambulance is coming," said Zachary.

"Thank God," said Tessa as she held Scarlet in her arms. "Hang in there, Baby girl. Hang in there."

The ambulance soon arrived and took Scarlet to the hospital immediately. She had to be hooked up to machines as she was starting to lose her strength to breathe. Tessa called John immediately so he could get home to watch the kids so she could go to the hospital to be with her baby girl and then after she got off the phone with John she had to make a call to Dave.. One she didn't want to make.

"Mom," said John. "I have to go!" he was in a panic state as well.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know. Something happened to Scarlet," he said. "Tessa has to go to the hospital."

As John left the restaurant to head home Dave started in route to West Newbury to be with his baby girl. Tessa was beside herself as she had to wait for John to get home before she could leave. It was killing her. She just wanted to be with her daughter. For the first time in a long time Tessa actually broke down and prayed. "God, please let my baby be okay. Please. If I lose her I don't know what I would do. Please God, I know I don't talk to you often but my daughter is everything to me. Please let her be okay. Please God," she said in a tear filled panic.

***A/N: So what did you think? Please review and thank-you for reading. **


	25. Chapter 25

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much. **

Tessa was in a panic by the time John got to the house. "What happened?" he asked as he had seen Tessa in a hysterical state.

"I have to go.. She might die," was all she said before she rushed out of the house to head to the hospital. Her baby girl needed her and she was going to be there.

John walked into the house to see Zola standing at the top of the stairs. "I didn't do it," she said.

"I didn't say you did," said John as he walked into the house. "But what happened?"

"We were just playing tea party, Dad and then the next thing I know she was on the ground choking and throwing up. There was white stuff coming out of her mouth. It was bad," said Zola. "I think she had a seizure."

"But she doesn't have seizures," said John. "What made her throw up and choke?"

"I don't know. I told you I didn't do it. You're making it sound like I did it," she said as she ran to her room.

Tessa wasted no time to get to the hospital and when she arrived they already had Scarlet back with a doctor so she was told to wait and that someone would be out to see her when they had information for her but in the meantime she had to fill out paperwork for Scarlet. Tessa was such an emotional wreck that she could barely write legibly. Like Tessa Dave wasted no time to get to West Newbury. He had a long drive ahead but he did not waste any time. It took him half the time to get there by driving way over the speed limit as it would have if he had followed the speed limit. Tessa managed to get the paperwork filled out and she was still waiting for the doctors to come talk to her. She walked over to the desk to hand the receptionist the paperwork. "Um.. Is anyone going to tell me what's wrong with my daughter?" she asked.

"The doctor is in with her right now. They're working with her now. That's all I can tell you," she said. "I'm sorry."

"She's only 6 years old.. Almost 7. Is she alive? What is wrong with her? Please I am desperate. She is my baby girl," said Tessa on the verge of breaking down again.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Batista, but as soon as the doctors have word someone will be out to talk to you. I just need you to have a seat," said the receptionist as Dave walked into the hospital lobby in a panic.

"Tessa," he said as he ran over to her.

"What happened?" He asked with a voice full of panic.

"I don't know. I was writing, the girls were upstairs playing tea party and then Zachary came down to tell me something was wrong with Scarlet. When I got up to the room Scarlet was laying on the floor choking. She was throwing up and she couldn't respond. I am waiting for someone to tell me what's going on but no one has information. I am sorry, Dave. I am sorry," she said as she broke down again.

"Tess," he said as he wrapped his arms around her to comfort her. "I don't know what's going on but you have to believe she's okay. Don't blame yourself. It's okay."

"She's our baby girl," said Tessa. "She's only 6 and now she's fighting for her life."

"Just calm down," he said trying to comfort her. "Did Zola do this to her?"

"I think so. I don't know," said Tessa. "I didn't have time to argue with that little brat. I was too worried about Scarlet. Dave, she looked horrible," she said as the doctor came out to talk to them.

"Mrs. Batista," he said as he walked over to Dave and Tessa.

"Yes," she said turning around to see the doctor. "How is she?" asked Tessa.

"She's stable but we need to talk. Come with me," he said as he led them to the back.

"What's wrong?" asked Dave.

The doctor remained silent until they reached his office. He shut the door behind them and told Dave and Tessa to take a seat. They slowly took a seat as the doctor made his way over behind his desk to sit down on his chair. "I am Dr. Wallace. I am the head pediatrics doctor here."

"Okay," said Tessa, "so Scarlet is she okay?"

"She's stable but she's going to need to stay here for a couple days for observation. She's not awake right now."

"What do you mean she's not awake?" asked Dave as he wrapped his arm around Tessa's shoulders to comfort her at the news.

"You see your daughter came in here with high levels of toxins in her blood. If you would have waited 5 minutes later she would have died. We have pumped her stomach and gotten most of them out but she is in a mini coma because of the toxins."

"What kind of toxins?" asked Tessa horrified that her daughter was given toxins.

"Well, there were levels of ammonia found in her mixed with bleach," he said. "Do you want to tell me why your 6 year old daughter was poisoned?"

"She was playing tea party with my boyfriend's daughter. I think she poisoned her," said Tessa.

"Tessa, what the hell is going on?" asked Dave. "Zola could have killed our daughter. This is your fault. I told you to get out of that house but no you insisted on going there. Is it worth it now?"

"They were getting along. How was I supposed to know she would try to poison her?" asked Tessa with tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry," she said.

"You're sorry?" asked Dave. "Our daughter could have died and you're sorry? What if she would have died?"

"But she didn't," said Tessa.

"But she could have," said Dave. "How could you be so careless to leave her alone with Zola? Do you see what this has cost you?" asked Dave.

"Dave, I'm sorry," she said. She knew she could say sorry a million times but it would not make up for the fact Scarlet was laying in the hospital bed in a coma. "Is she going to wake up?" asked Tessa.

"It's hard to tell right now. We need to take it day by day. She had a lot of toxins in her blood. They were at levels that could have killed her."

"Is this going to effect her brain in any way?" asked Dave.

"I can't say," said Dr. Wallace. "We will have to wait and see."

"Can we go see her?" asked Dave.

"Absolutely," he said, "follow me."

They got up and followed the doctor to Scarlet's room. Tessa broke down even more when she saw her little girl laying in the hospital bed hooked up to machines. It was the last thing she ever wanted to see. She wanted to take her place. If she could she would take away her pain and take her place. She would have done anything to trade places with Scarlet at that moment. Dave's eyes filled with tears as he looked at the same sight as Tessa. He was angry at Tessa and he was angry at John. He was angry that Scarlet was left alone with Zola whether they were getting along or not. He was upset about the entire situation. "My baby," he said as he walked over to her. He softly took her small hand into his. "Scarlet, Baby, Daddy is here and I'm not going anywhere. I'm here."

Tessa walked over too and said, "Scarlet, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left you alone with her. I'm sorry. Please, Baby. Wake up. I love you. I am so sorry." She had tears streaming from her eyes and she felt so bad that Scarlet was even in that position. "Dave, I'm sorry. I really am. It's my fault. I am so sorry." She was beside herself with emotions.

Dave was angry with her but as he looked at her and saw how heartbroken she was he couldn't stay angry with her. He felt bad for her. He knew it wasn't her fault. She didn't know that Zola was going to poison Scarlet. He extended his arm out to her inviting her to come closer. She moved closer and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. She laid her head on his shoulder as he kissed the top of her head. "I'm sorry, Tess, I know this wasn't your fault. Don't blame yourself. The last thing we need right now is us getting upset with one another. Our baby girl needs us and you don't need all this stress with that baby you're carrying.. I'm sorry I yelled at you. It's just I am really scared."

"I'm scared too," she said as she looked at Scarlet sleeping and looking so peaceful. "She is beautiful."

"She is," he said looking at Scarlet. "We did a good job with her."

"We did," said Tessa as Scarlet began to stir. Scarlet let out a moan as she stirred. "She's waking up. Come back to us, Scarlet," said Tessa.

Scarlet stirred a little more and moaned before her eyes opened and she stared at her mom and dad. "My head hurts," she said. "I feel bad."

"You're awake," said Dave with a smile.

"Daddy," she said. "What happened?"

"You drank something really bad that made you really sick but you're okay now," said Dave as he leaned down to kiss her forehead.

"My stomach hurts," she said.

"It will," said Dave. "But you'll be okay."

"I was playing with Zola and the water smelled funny but she said it was okay. Was it bad?" asked Scarlet.

"It was," said Tessa boiling with anger. The words were spoken and it was all confirmed. Zola did poison Scarlet. Tessa's sadness went to happiness to anger in a matter of minutes.

"I'm going to go get the doctor," said Dave as he hurried out to get the doctor so he could check on Scarlet.

"I'm sorry," said Tessa.

"Why are you sorry?" asked Scarlet.

"Because I left you alone with Zola. I never will again. I'm sorry."

"Okay, Mommy," she said as the doctor came back in the room with Dave.

The doctor checked Scarlet over and she seemed to be okay but he wanted to keep her a day or two for observation after her ordeal. He felt it was the safest thing to do. He wanted to make sure she was 100% when she went home. Tessa and Dave both agreed and they were both planning on staying at the hospital with her so she wouldn't be alone. Tessa decided she was going to run home to get Scarlet's favorite teddy bear while Dave was staying with her. Tessa left the hospital still upset because of everything that happened with Scarlet and Zola. She could have lost her daughter and as she thought about it she was getting angrier and angrier.

She pulled into her driveway and walked into the house. John ran to the door immediately. "What's wrong what happened? Is she okay?"

"She's fine," she said making her way to the stairs. She had not time for John. She was on a mission. "I'm going back to the hospital."

"Why?" he asked following her up the stairs.

"Because my daughter almost died," she said. "That's why. They are keeping her for observations."

"How did she almost die?" asked John as Tessa walked into Scarlet's room for the bear.

"Because your daughter poisoned her," she said. "That's how."

"Zola did not poison her. Zola said she didn't do it," said John.

"And of course you believe her," said Tessa. "I don't have time for this argument. My daughter needs me."

"Can I come to see her?"

"That wouldn't be a good idea," she said grabbing some of Scarlet's toys so she could play at the hospital.

"Why? I love Scarlet."

"Because Dave is there," she said, "and I'm sure you're the last person he wants to see. Scarlet isn't your daughter just stay out of it."

"But you're saying my daughter poisoned your daughter and you want me to stay out of it. My daughter is always your target. Maybe you poisoned her to blame it on Zola," he said not realizing what he was saying.

"And Maybe you're an asshole," she said walking out of Scarlet's room to run into Zola.

"How's Scarlet?" she asked with a smirk that pissed Tessa off even more.

"She's not dead like you were trying to do," said Tessa, "she's alive and well."

"I don't know what you're talking about. I didn't DO anything," she said.

"Save your lies, Zola. Scarlet already told us it was you. You're going away for a long time."

"Tessa," said John, "she's just a little girl. What are you saying?"

"I'm saying the police are going to handle this. My daughter is a little girl too.. She almost died because of your daughter."

"I didn't' do anything, Dad," protested Zola. "Tessa's lying."

"Zola, be honest with me. Did you poison, Scarlet?"

"What? No I didn't' poison her. I don't even know how to poison anyone. That's crazy."

"Zola," said John. "Are you telling the truth?"

"Yes, Dad. I am," she said with a smirk as she looked at Tessa.

"See," said John. "She's telling the truth."

"Whatever," said Tessa as she started walking toward the stairs.

As she walked to the stairs John walked away to get Zuri who had started to cry. Before Tessa stepped down the first stair Zola said, "Tessa."

"What?" asked Tessa turning around.

"I did do it and I would do it again. I wanted her to die. I hate Scarlet," she said with a smirk.

This infuriated Tessa beyond belief. "You little brat!" Before she could stop herself she slapped Zola across the face once again.

"Bitch!" said Zola as she pushed Tessa away from her. Tessa had no where to go but down. She rolled down the stairs from top to bottom and landed at the bottom of the staircase. Zola gave a smirk as she looked down at Tessa laying at the bottom of the stairs. She skipped away and walked into Zuri's room. "Dad."

"What, Zola?" asked John.

"Tessa fell down the stairs," she said before skipping away.

"What?" asked John as he put Zuri back in the crib. He ran to the stairs and looked down to see Tessa laying at the bottom. "TESSA!" he yelled as he ran down the stairs.

***A/N: So what did you think? Please review and thank-you for reading. **


	26. Chapter 26

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much! **

John ran to the bottom of the stairs as Tessa began to stir. She was in a tremendous amount of pain. She couldn't move her ankle and she was pretty sure it was broken along with a couple of her ribs. She wasn't entirely sure but those injuries weren't the ones she was worried about. She was worried about the baby. She tumbled down every stair there was no way the baby was making it through. "Tessa, how did you fall down the stairs?"

"Your daughter pushed me," she said. "I can't get up. I can't move my leg. And my ribs hurt."

"What about the baby? Is the baby okay?" he asked.

"I don't know," she said as she sat up. She was in even more pain and her bruises were already starting to form. "I need to go to the hospital."

"I will call an ambulance," he said. "You're bruising."

"I know," she said and that's when she felt it. The warm liquid running down her leg. She knew it was over the entire pregnancy was over.

"Are you sure you can't get up?" asked John.

"I'm sure. Call an ambulance. I have to go to the hospital NOW!" she said. Deep down she felt like she still had a chance to keep the baby alive. She was trying to deny the fact she was possibly having a miscarriage. She wanted to have a baby more than anything in the world. She wasn't sure what she would do if she did lose the baby but she wasn't thinking about that. She only kept hoping the baby was alive.

"Okay," said John before calling the ambulance.

The ambulance arrived and took Tessa to the hospital. She was in so much pain as she laid in the ambulance. John was unable to go but promised her he would be there as soon as he could get his mom to watch the kids. As Tessa was taken out of the house Zola watched on from the top of the stairs with a smirk. She was proud of herself and she was proud of what she had done. Once Tessa arrived at the hospital they took her to a room to be observed and to check the baby but she could no longer deny the truth. She knew the baby was gone and her heart was broken. The truth was also confirmed when the OB/GYN doctor at the hospital said to her, "Mrs. Batista, I'm sorry but your baby did not survive the fall."

"I know," said Tessa as she had all felt the realness of the situation. She had tears in her deep blue eyes as they removed what was left of her baby and scraped her uterus clean. She hated Zola and she hated that Zola almost took her daughter from her and took her baby from her. Zola was the devil.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"Me too," she said. She was sorry she didn't get out of her relationship with John sooner. She was sorry that she ever cheated on Dave with John. If she hadn't none of this would be happening right now. "It's okay." She was deeply saddened with everything and not just the loss of her baby.

"They're going to take you for some x-rays now to check your leg and your ribs. All right?"

"All right," she said sadly. She didn't care what they did now. "Can you get my husband?"

"Where is he?" asked the doctor.

"On the child's floor in room 26. He's with our daughter. I want him to come be with me."

"I will," said the doctor before Tessa was taken to get an x-ray done on her ribs and her legs. She was bruised and battered. She looked like she was in a war covered in scrapes and bruises.

While Tessa was getting her x-rays done the doctor went to find Dave. He walked up to Scarlet's door and knocked on it. "Come in," said Dave expecting Tessa to come in the room as he and Scarlet were watching TV.

The doctor walked in and said, "Mr. Batista?"

"Yes?" he asked. "Can I help you?"

"Can I talk to you out in the hall about something?" he asked.

"Yes," said Dave. "Scarlet, I will be right back okay?"

"Okay, Daddy," she said before turning her attention back to the Disney Channel that was on the TV in front of her.

Dave made his way out to the hallway with the doctor. "Is there something wrong with Scarlet?" he asked concerned.

"No it's about your wife," he said. "There was an accident."

"An accident? Is she okay?"

"She is. She just took a fall down the stairs," he said. "She's getting x-rays right now but unfortunately she lost your baby. I'm sorry," he said.

"It's not…I mean thank-you for telling me," said Dave. He felt really bad for Tessa because he knew how important that baby was to her and how much she wanted it. "Can I see her?"

"Yes but right now she's having x-rays. I will have someone come get you when she's finished."

"Thank-you," said Dave.

"You're welcome and once again I am sorry for your loss," he said before walking away. Dave went back in with Scarlet but chose not to tell Scarlet about her mother. He didn't' want to stress her out too much. He would tell her when the time was right or have Tessa tell her the news.

About an hour later a nurse came and got Dave to take him to go see Tessa. It was no problem getting away from Scarlet because she had fallen asleep. Dave walked behind the nurse slowly to Tessa's room. The nurse knocked on the door and Dave heard Tessa say, "Come in." Dave and the nurse walked in. "Hey, Dave," she said sadly.

"Hey, Tess," he said walking over to the bed. "How are you?" He was surprised at how bruised and battered she was. She looked horrible.

"Sore," she said as Dave sat down in the chair next to her. "Sad. I have a broken ankle and three broken ribs.. And I lost the baby," she said even sadder than before. "I lost the baby," she said as she started to cry. "I lost it," she was now sobbing. "I lost it, Dave."

"I know," he said as he wrapped his arm around her. "I'm so sorry but I'm here for you. I'm sorry," he said comforting her. He didn't' really know what else to say because there wasn't much to say. Telling her she could make another baby wasn't going to make her feel better and telling her it's okay wouldn't do any good because right now everything wasn't okay and Tessa had lost the baby. The only thing he could do was be there for her. "What happened?"

"Zola pushed me down the stairs," she said. "We were fighting about Scarlet and she pushed me down the stairs."

"She pushed you?" he asked surprised at the details.

"Yes," she said. "She said she wanted Scarlet to die so I slapped her in the face and that's when she pushed me. I tumbled down every stair."

"Oh, Tessa, I am so sorry," he said. "I'm so sorry."

"Me too. I should have gotten out. I should have left when I had the chance but I didn't. If I had left when you wanted me to I would still be pregnant. I should have left."

"I know you should have but it's not too late for you to leave. You can still leave and now you don't have anything to hold you back. You and me can be together again and we can have a baby. What do you say, Tessa? I hate to see you like this."

"I don't know," she said. "I don't know if I can."

"You can," said Dave. "Tessa, do you see it's not a good place for you. It's not a good place for Scarlet and its' not a good place for Zachary. You have to get out. Zola tried to kill Scarlet and she tried to hurt you maybe even kill you. It's not safe for you there. You have to get out. I will take care of you. You deserve better, Tess."

"I know," she said. "That's why I decided I'm leaving John. I can't stay with him and worry about mine and my kids' safety. I'm going back to New York. I need to be in a safe place."

"Good," he said. "You need to leave him. It's the best thing for you and the kids. Do you think we can work things out again and work on our marriage?"

"But our divorce papers…we already filed for divorce," she said.

"I know but nothing is finalized yet. There is still time to stop it and if it finalizes we can always remarry and have a real wedding this time."

"Regardless I want a real wedding," she said. "I didn't get that last time with you."

"I know," he said. "We can get remarried and do it right this time or renew our vows. We can do this again but only if you want to. Do you want to?"

"I want to," she said. "Dave, I love you. I have always loved you. I will never stop loving you. I want to be with you. I was a fool. I shouldn't have cheated on you. I shouldn't have done that and I'm sorry. I am really sorry," she said.

"It's okay. I shouldn't have left. I should have fought harder and none of this would be happening."

"I want to be happy again. I've been so sad and so angry. I want to be happy. I want Scarlet to be happy. I want Zachary to be happy….I want US to be happy….together."

"Does this mean we're getting back together?" asked Dave.

"We're getting back together," she said with a smile. "I love you."

"I love you too," he said with a smile before he leaned down and softly kissed her lips. "I'm so happy!"

"Me too," she said. "Wait till Scarlet hears the news. She's going to be ecstatic."

"I know she is," said Dave, "but what about John, Tessa? Don't you have to talk to him and tell him?"

"I do but I don't want to see him right now. I'm under too much stress and he's the last person I want to see. When things get better then I will talk to John but right now I want nothing to do with him. I don't even want to see him, I don't want to hear him.. I don't want to see him."

"All right," said Dave. "Are they keeping you here?"

"For a couple days," she said. "They feel I need my rest."

"Okay," said Dave as there was a knock on the door. "Come in," he said.

A nurse walked in the room and said, "There is a John Cena out in the hall. He says he's here to see Tessa. Do you want to see him?"

"I'll handle it," said Dave as he got up.

"Thanks," said Tessa as she watched Dave walk out the door.

Dave walked out the door and saw John standing there. "What do you want, Cena?"

"I want to see my girlfriend," he said.

"She doesn't want to see you," said Dave. "You need to leave."

"She is my girlfriend," he said, "you don't make that call, Batista."

"You're lucky I'm not kicking your ass right now after what your spawn of evil has done not only to my daughter but to MY wife. So don't tell me what I do and do not do. I do make whatever call I want. She is MY wife."

"You're getting divorced," said John. "You don't get to make those calls anymore."

"Nothing is finalized therefore I do still make those calls and you're not seeing Tessa so do yourself a favor go home, find a good lawyer and prepare your daughter to go to jail."

"Excuse me? What do you mean a good lawyer?" asked John. "And Zola isn't going to jail."

"Did you think your daughter was going to get away with poisoning my child?" said Dave with a small laugh, "Because she's not. I am pressing charges. You don't seem to have control over Zola so maybe some time in juvenile detention will do her some good. I will make sure she pays for EVERYTHING she's done to Scarlet."

"That's ridiculous," said John. "Zola didn't poison, Scarlet. She told me so herself."

"And Scarlet says she did AND we have all the evidence against Zola," said Dave. "Scarlet had high levels of ammonia and bleach in her system. Levels that could have killed her… your daughter is not walking free."

"That's ridiculous Zola is just a little girl."

"And Scarlet is a little girl too.. A little girl that was almost killed by your child. I'm not changing my mind on this," said Dave.

"Tessa will never allow it," said John.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that and it doesn't matter anyway. Scarlet is my daughter too. I can press charges if I want to and I do want to."

"Let me see, Tessa," said John.

"No. I can't let you in the room."

"Get out of the way, Batista. You don't' get to control this situation. She is MY girlfriend and she is pregnant with MY child. I have the right to see her."

Dave wanted so badly to tell John about the baby but it wasn't his call to make. It was Tessa's job to tell him the news but right now she wanted nothing to do with John. "You're not going in there. You need to leave," said Dave.

"I'm not going anywhere until you let me see her."

"Security!" yelled Dave to the security at the end of the hallway.

A man walked up to John and Dave and said, "Is everything okay?"

"No," said Dave. "This man is harassing my wife. I want him to leave."

"But she's my girlfriend," said John. "SHe is pregnant with MY baby. I want to see her."

"Let's go," said the security guard and took John by the arm to escort him out of the hospital.

"But she's my girlfriend," said John arguing with security but they were not listening. He was hauled out of the hospital and was not allowed to enter again.

Dave smirked and walked back into Tessa's room. "Is he gone?" she asked.

"He's gone. You don't have to worry about him," he said. "For now."

"Good," she said with a smile.

***A/N: So what did you think? Please review and thank-you for taking the time to read. **


	27. Chapter 27

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. THey were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much. **

After John was thrown out of the hospital he was irate and headed home. He wasted no time on the roads as he sped to the house but on his way he was pulled over by the police for going 50 in a 25 mile zone. Even his fame couldn't stop him from getting a ticket. He was not having a good day. He arrived at home, whipped into the driveway, parked the car and got out of the car slamming the door shut. He walked into the house to be greeted by his mother right way. "You're home early," she said. "I would have thought you would have spent more time with Tessa."

"Yeah well I got kicked out of the hospital," he said angrily as he slammed the door shut. "ZOLA!"

"John, what is going on?" she asked. "Why did you get kicked out of the hospital and what did Zola do?"

"For one Dave told me Tessa did not want to see me and that he calls the shots because he is her husband so I'm not allowed to see her and two Zola poisoned Scarlet and Dave is pressing charges."

"What?" asked Carol. "I am so confused. Dave won't let you see Tessa?"

"No because she doesn't want to see me and apparently she's not my girlfriend anymore."

"I was scared that this was going to happen. I knew it. She is leaving you for Dave again."

"Over my dead body," said John. "ZOLA!"

"And what's this about Zola poisoning Scarlet? And Dave pressing charges?"

"Apparently Zola gave Scarlet ammonia and bleach so now Dave is all up in arms about it talking about pressing charges and getting her put in juvenile detention. I don't know what happened I would know something more if I could talk to my girlfriend. She tried to tell me but she was in a rush to go to the hospital to be with Scarlet then she fell down the stairs."

"That's ridiculous. I don't think Zola is capable of doing something like that. Dave needs to relax. Zola is only a little girl. Why is he going to do that to that little girl?"

"I don't know," he said as Zola appeared at the bottom of the stairs.

"Yes, Dad?" she asked.

"I just came back from the hospital and you know what I heard?"

"No. What, Dad?" she asked.

"I heard that Scarlet had levels of Ammonia and Bleach in her system..levels high enough that could have killed her."

"That's tragic," she said. "Very tragic." Zola had no emotion in her body as she said this. Zola seemed as if she could have cared less and there was no surprise in her voice.

"It is tragic," said John. "And you know how she's saying they got into her system?"

"No, Dad, I don't," said Zola.

"She's saying that you gave them to her. Is this true?"

"Dad, it's not true. I told you I wouldn't do that. I don't know why she's lying."

"Zola, it's important that you tell the truth," said John.

"Dad, I am telling the truth. Why do you keep thinking I'm lying?"

"Zola, it's important you tell the truth. Scarlet's dad is talking about getting the police involved. You can't lie about this. You have to be truthful. Did you poison Scarlet?"

"The police?" she asked with fear. "But I didn't do it," she said with a different tone in her voice. Her tone was filled with fear.

"Zola, I want to smell the cups from the tea party game," said John.

"Dad, they're in Scarlet's room," she said as her dad walked passed her and walked up to the stairs. Zola followed behind him but as they reached Scarlet's room she ran off.

John walked into the room and picked up each cup at the tea party table. The first two he picked up were Zola's as they were just water but as he picked up the two across from them he smelled them and could smell the bleach and ammonia in them. He picked up the tea pot and smelled it as well. It was not water and that's when he knew it and realized Scarlet was telling the truth and that Tessa had been telling the truth the whole time. The tea pot was bleach mixed with ammonia. He felt horrible knowing Zola was capable of doing something like that. "Oh my god," he said as he put the tea pot down. "Zola," he said going off to look for her. He walked into her room and could not find her. He looked everywhere in her room she could hide but she was not there. He began to look all over the house but could not find her until he thought about the attic. He made is way upstairs and walked up to the attic. He walked in looking around the room filled with fear and shock as well as shame for not believing his girlfriend to find Zola. He looked behind boxes and then he heard a glass vase fall to the floor. "Zola, come out now," he said. "Right now." He had no playfulness in his voice. He had a stern authoritative tone in his voice one Zola had never heard from him before. "NOW!" he yelled as she failed to show herself.

Zola was frightened by John's tone and appeared from behind the box. "Yes, Dad."

"You lied to me. I smelled those cups. I smelled the tea pot it was filled with bleach and ammonia. How could you do something like that?"

"I didn't," she said. "It wasn't me. I swear. I didn't do it."

"Zola, you can't lie. Dave is getting the police involved. It's better if you tell the truth. Why did you do that to Scarlet? You could have killed her."

"Dad, I didn't do it. I swear to you. I didn't do it. You have to believe me," she said begging.

"I don't," he said. "Let's go." He grabbed her by the hand and pulled her out of the attic, down the stairs, down the stairs to the living room and put her down on the couch. "Do not move understand?"

"What are you doing, Dad? What are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm calling your therapist and having you put somewhere. You are obviously insane."

"No, Dad, don't. I don't' want to go anywhere."

"Zola, I have to think about the other children's safety in this house. You could have killed Scarlet."

"I didn't do it," she said as her father walked out of the room to call her therapist to have her put somewhere.

Meanwhile at the hospital Scarlet was talking to the police officer about what happened. "We were playing tea party and we were out of water. Zola went to get more water and it took her a really long time to come back. When she came back she laid the tea pot on the table and poured some into a glass for me but she didn't pour herself any. I asked her why and she said her cups weren't empty. She told me to drink. I picked up the cup and it smelled funny. It wasn't water but she told me it was fine so I drank it. It didn't taste like water either. She told me it was something new. She said it was supposed to be flavored water so I kept drinking it," said Scarlet.

"What did it smell like?" asked the officer.

"The stuff Mommy cleans the bathroom and kitchen floor with," she said. "It tasted real bad."

"I see," he said as he wrote it down. "What happened after you drank it?"

"She made me keep drinking. I told her it was bad and it tasted bad but she said if I didn't drink it she would hurt my Mommy. Daddy? Where is Mommy? I want Mommy," said Scarlet.

"Mommy is resting right now. You need to talk to the officer."

"Okay," said Scarlet. "But she made me drink it."

"Then what happened?" asked the officer.

"I couldn't breathe and then I got really sick. I started throwing up and my stomach hurt. And my chest felt like it was being pushed on. Then I fell on the floor. I was choking and that's all I remember."

"Okay," said the officer.

"So are you going to arrest her?" asked Dave.

"We are headed there now. It seems like an attempted homicide case," he said. "I am sorry about your daughter."

"Thank-you," said Dave.

"Just doing our job and Miss Scarlet," said the officer, "I hope you feel better."

"Thank-you," she said.

Meanwhile back at the Cena house John had gotten off the phone with Zola's therapist and walked into the living room where Zola was still sitting. "Well," he said. "Your therapist is going to put you in a really nice group home where you will get the help that you need."

"I don't' need help and I hate you for doing this," she said with cold hatred, the only hatred she used with Tessa or Scarlet.

It broke John's heart to hear her say that but it was for the best. "YOu hate me now and that's okay. You can hate me but you need help. This place is going to help you. You tried to kill Scarlet, you need help, Zola. I love you and if it makes you hate me because I'm doing the best thing for you then so be it. You won't hate me when you're happier and you get the help that you need. I'm not doing this to hurt you. I am doing this to help you."

"Dad, you're doing it to hurt me," she said. "I don't' want to go away."

"It will be good for you," said John as there was a knock on the door. "I'll get that." He got up and walked over to the front door. To his surprised when he opened the door there were two officers standing there. "Can I help you?"

"We're here to see Zola," said one officer.

"I am her father. What can I do for you?"

"Is Zola home?" he asked.

"She's in the living room," said John as he led the officers to the living room where Zola was sitting.

"Zola Cena, you are under arrest for the attempted murder of Scarlet Batista whatever you do or say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have a right to an attorney and if you can not afford one, one will be appointed to you," he said as he pulled Zola up off the couch.

"DADDY! HELP ME!" she cried as the officer was handcuffing her. "DADDY!"

"I'm sorry, Zola," he said as it was breaking his heart seeing his daughter get arrested and him not able to do anything to stop it. "Do you really need to cuff her she is a little girl?"

"A little girl that tried to murder someone. I would suggest you find her a lawyer," said the officer as he took her out of the living room.

"JOhn, what is going on?" asked Carol.

"Zola is being arrested," he said with tears in his eyes.

"She's just a little girl," said Carol as her heart broke for Zola.

John followed the officers out to the police car and the neighbors on the street were looking at the scene in front of them. They put Zola into the back of the police car, got in the car and drove off. John's heart broke completely. He hoped the neighborhood got their entertainment for the afternoon as there had been two ambulance calls and now a police call where a 9 year old was hauled off in handcuffs. He couldn't' believe Dave really pressed charges on Zola. He thought he was bluffing but now Dave took their feud to a whole new level. He walked into the house feeling broken and said to his mom, "I need to call a lawyer but Batista is going to pay for this!"

"And he should," said Carol. "She's just a little girl, John. Do something."

***A/N: So what did you think? Please review and thank-you for reading. **


	28. Chapter 28

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter They were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much!**

A couple days later Tessa and Scarlet were both being released from the hospital. Tessa and Dave had not told Scarlet about her losing the baby because they both felt that she had been through too much and she was already blaming herself for Zola pushing Tessa down the stairs in the first place. They didn't want her to blame herself for Tessa losing the baby too even though it was no where near her fault. There was only one person responsible and that was Zola. Zola had been released on bail but she was going to need to go to court for arraignment and what charges were going to be brought against her but she was not allowed to stay in the house with her brothers and sisters she had to stay with John's mom until everything was settled. The judge felt it was safer that way and so did her lawyer because they had no idea if Scarlet was coming back into the house or not. They didn't even know what was going on with Tessa because she had refused to see them or take their calls. She wanted NOTHING to do with them but she knew upon her release she would have to go to the house, get Zachary and get some of their things to go to New York with Dave plus she needed to tell John about the baby and tell him that she was leaving for good. It was easier said than done though.

Tessa and Dave pulled up to the house she shared with John. Dave helped her out as she had a broken ankle and was using crutches. She slowly took her time to the door with Dave's help but she would not let him go in. She wanted him to wait in the car for her. She didn't think it was a good idea for him to see John and for John to see him. She didn't want a fight she just wanted out. She opened the door and walked in after giving Dave a kiss. "Good luck," he said.

"Thanks," she said. "I hope it doesn't take long. Love you."

"Love you too," he said as he watched her hobble into the house.

Tessa closed the door behind her and everything seemed to be quiet in the house. "John?" she asked.

John heard Tessa's voice and came running to her. "Tessa! Oh my God. Are you okay? I missed you. Why didn't you take my calls and why wouldn't Dave let me see you?" He gave her a hug and a soft kiss on the lips. "God, Tessa, I love you."

"Yeah," she said. "John, we need to talk." She kept her tone serious and unsympathetic.

"Okay," he said. "Let's go in the dining room and talk."

"Okay," she said as she walked into the dining room with him. He pulled a chair out for her. "Thank-you."

"You're welcome," he said as he sat down in the chair next to her. "So what's up? How is the baby? Is the baby okay?"

"No," she said. "The baby isn't okay. The baby didn't make it. I lost it."

"You lost it?" he asked.

"Yeah. I lost it in the fall," she said. "It's gone."

"So it died?"

"I miscarried," she said.

"I see. How did you fall down the stairs?" he asked.

"Zola pushed me down the stairs," she said.

"No she didn't," said John. "That's a lie. She didn't' push you."

"She did. She took her hands and pushed me down the stairs. It's Zola's fault I lost the baby. It's her fault I fell down the stairs."

"Stop blaming her for everything. I know she poisoned Scarlet but I don't think she pushed you down the stairs. I find that hard to believe."

"I don't care if you believe me or not. It doesn't matter anymore John. What matters is I'm no longer pregnant."

"Okay so we can try again," he said. "We still have time and we can try again."

"No, John. We don't have anything. WE aren't going to try anything."

"Tess, what are you saying?" asked John with tears in his eyes. He already knew what she was saying. He needed to hear the words from her mouth to believe it.

"I'm saying I can't do this anymore. I don't want to do this anymore. I can't be with you. It's jeopardizing my health and my kids. I can't be with you anymore."

"So you're leaving?"

"I have to, John. I have to leave. Your daughter poisoned my daughter. She could have killed her. I can't be here. I don't want to be here. I hate it here and I don't' want to be with you."

"Tess, I don't think you know what you're saying."

"No, John. I do. I can't be with you. John, I think you're a jerk and I want this to be over. I told you time and time again that Zola was crazy and that she was bullying Scarlet but you kept telling me I was lying. You told me Zola would never do something horrible to Scarlet. Well, the time has come, John, she tried to kill my daughter. I can't be with a man whose daughter tries to kill my daughter."

"She didn't try to kill her she just wanted to make her sick," said John.

"No, she wanted to kill her. She told me to my face that she hated Scarlet and she wanted her to die. She said she did do it and she would do it again. Don't tell me that she didn't mean to because I know that she did."

"So you're leaving me?"

"Yes, John. I am."

"Well, Zola is going to get help. I'm going to have Zola put in a group home until she gets the help she needs."

"John, it's too late," said Tessa. "The damage has been done. You should have gotten her help a long time ago and none of this would be happening right now. I'm sorry but I need to move on."

"You mean move on with Dave," said John.

"Yes," said Tessa. "I am getting back with Dave. He is my husband and I love him."

"I figured. This is JUST like you. You bounce back and forth. When times get tough you bounce to the next guy."

"First of all there was never really anything bad between Dave and me until YOU and your wife asked me to be your surrogate. That's where the problems started with him. He knew that it was going to cause trouble and look at that it did. You and me ended up sleeping together. That's where the problems started. WE had no problems until you came into our lives. We were happy until you came into our lives. WE were happy until you started to decide you needed another paternity test on Zachary. You just needed to do another one… we were happy until you started your shit in our lives to make us miserable. YOU are the reason Dave and me split up and YOU are the reason we're getting back together."

"Tessa, that's ridiculous. You act like you and Dave had the perfect marriage. If you did you wouldn't have slept with me."

"I was vulnerable and you took advantage of that and you know it."

"Stop saying that. I NEVER once took advantage of you or your vulnerability. You knew what you were doing. I didn't force you to have sex with me. You chose to."

"I may have chosen to have sex with you but emotionally I was not in the right place and you took advantage of that but this isn't about that. This is about now and right now I just want to get some stuff, get my son and go to New York with my husband."

"Wait," said John. "You think you're taking Zachary out of this house? I don't think so. He is my son too and you are not just going to take him to New York. I do get a say."

"John, I want my son," said Tessa, "and you can't keep him from me."

"I can do whatever I want. He is my son too and he's staying here."

"No he's not, John. He is not staying here."

"I said he is and he is," said John. "I'm his father."

"I wish you weren't. I am taking him," said Tessa.

"No you're not. I'll tell you what you tell your husband to call off the charges against Zola and I'll give you Zachary and sign all my rights over to Dave."

"You don't have any rights. Dave does, Dave's name is on the birth certificate."

"And I can counteract that with the results of the paternity test. Tessa, you have no control here. I will win when it comes to Zachary."

"Not when they hear that YOUR daughter is an attempted murderer."

"Tell your husband to call off the charges and I will give you Zachary and sign off my rights and I'll be gone from your life forever."

"Dave is pressing charges against Zola?" asked Tessa.

"Yes he is. Tell him to call them off and I'll do what I told you," he said.

"No," said Tessa, "Zola deserves to have charges pressed against her. She tried to kill my daughter. Don't try to bribe me into doing the wrong thing. I'm not stupid."

"Zola is just a little girl. Why press charges against her?" asked John.

"Scarlet is a little girl too that was almost killed. You act like you don't care. Your daughter chose to do that.. She gets what she deserves my daughter did nothing to deserve that. I'm not telling Dave to call off the charges but I will be taking Zachary and you can't stop me."

"We'll see," said John.

"Yep. We'll see. We're done here."

"So this is it? This is how it's going to be?"

"Yep," said Tessa getting up. "This is how it's going to be," she said as Zachary came into the dining room.

"Mom!" he said hugging her. "How is Scarlet?"

"She's better," said Tessa. "She's in the car with her dad."

"Aren't you two coming home?" he asked.

"Actually, Zachary, we're moving back to New York. Dave and me are getting back together."

"Really? I can't wait to go back to New York. I hate it here. I want to go back to New York so bad. When do we leave?"

"Zachary," said John. "You're staying here."

"But I don't want to. I want to go home with my mom and dad," he said.

"I am your father," said John.

"No. You're not. Dave is my dad. He always has been. I want to go with my mom and dad."

"See?" said Tessa. "Now can we go?"

"I don't care. Do whatever you want," said John, "but this isn't over."

"Whatever. WE are over.. Bye," she said. Her and Zachary went upstairs to get some stuff to take to New York with them while John sulked downstairs in the dining room. Dave had won again. He was tired of Dave always winning. He wasn't sure what Tessa saw in him but he was upset that he had lost her again. He not only lost Tessa but his son too and he had lost his baby with Tessa.. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair at all. Once Tessa and Zachary had their things together they took them out to car and they were on their way to New York.

***A/N: So what did you think? Please review and thank-you for taking the time to read. **


	29. Chapter 29

***Thank-you for all the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much. **

Tessa and Dave wasted no time getting on the road to head back to New York. The sooner they were out of West Newbury the better it would be for them and they could get their lives together started. "How did he take it?" asked Dave as he took Tessa's hand as he drove down the interstate.

"Not well. I'm pretty sure he's going to come after me for custody of Zachary. He was upset."

"Fuck him," said Dave. "He's not getting Zachary with Zola's craziness. He'll be lucky if he can keep the two youngest. I won't let him get Zachary."

"You won't have a say," said Tessa, "you're not his father. John is."

"But my name is on the birth certificate. I am his father."

"Whether your name is there or not John has DNA matching Zachary that can over power anything that birth certificate says. I know. I don't' want him to get Zachary either but he is his father."

"I know and it pisses me off everyday. I hate that fact."

"Me too," said Tessa. "I wish things were different. I wish John could be out of our lives forever but he never will be."

"I know and that sucks too," said Dave. "So are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm okay," said Tessa. "It's just been a crazy couple of days."

"I know. I just don't want it to get you so stressed out. You're dealing with a lot right now and I just want to make sure you're okay."

"I am,' she said. "You don't have to worry about me."

"Okay," said Dave. "So Scarlet and Zachary are you two ready to get back to New York?"

"Daddy," said Scarlet, "I was never ready to leave. I love New York. I can't wait to see my friends again."

"I am too," said Zachary. "I miss my old school. We are going back to our old school right?"

"As long as we can still enroll you," said Tessa.

"Does this mean you and Mommy are back together?" asked Scarlet.

"We're back together," said Dave with a smile as he looked over at Tessa. He couldn't have been happier that him and Tessa were finally getting back together. He could never understand why he let her get away but he was definitely happy that Tessa was coming back to him where she belonged. She was the love of his life and had never loved or could never love another woman the way he loved Tessa.

"Really, Mommy? You're not going to live with John again are you?"

"Never," said Tessa. "I am with your daddy again."

"Good," she said. "And what about your baby with John? What's going to happen to it?"

Tessa and Dave looked at each other. Dave gave Tessa a nod telling her that she should answer the question truthfully and not hide it from her any longer. Tessa fully agreed; Scarlet needed to know the truth. "Well, Scarlet," said Tessa, "about that baby I lost it."

"You lost it?" asked Scarlet. "How did you lose it?"

"When I fell down the stairs the baby didn't make it so I'm not having a baby anymore."

"So I'm not going to have a baby sister or brother," she said with tears in her eyes.

"No, I'm sorry," said Tessa.

"I really wanted to be a big sister," said Scarlet as she sniffled. "I really did."

"I know," said Tessa. "I'm sorry. Maybe your daddy and me will have a little baby someday."

"Is it my fault?" asked Scarlet as a tear rolled down her cheek.

"No," said Tessa, "It was not your fault. Everything that happened this week is NOT your fault so don't blame yourself."

"But I made Zola mad and that's why she hurt you," said Scarlet. She truly felt like it was her fault that Zola pushed Tessa down the stairs and now she felt like she was to blame for Tessa losing the baby.

"Zola has problems. You did nothing wrong," said Tessa.

"Mom's right," said Zachary. "Zola is crazy and she didn't hurt mom because of you. She hurt her because she is crazy."

"Okay," said Scarlet. "But do you two promise I will have a baby sister or brother some day?"

"We can't promise," said Dave, "but we'll work on it," he said with a smile as he looked at Tessa.

"Good," said Scarlet, "because I really want that baby sister or brother."

"I know you do," said Tessa with a smile as she looked back at Scarlet and then back at Dave. "Do you hear that?"

"I do," said Dave with a smile, "and I am in."

"I figured you would be. Whenever you're ready I am ready," said Tessa.

"Let's give that ankle some time to heal before we do anything like that."

"All right," she said with a smile. Normally she wouldn't be in a rush to try for another baby but time was not on her side. She was nearly 40 if she was going to have another baby she wanted to do it soon. It almost made her wish that she had started earlier with having babies instead of waiting till she was in her 30's. If she could go back and change some things she would have gotten with Dave sooner and started having kids in her mid 20's. She would have done it a lot differently. She wished she could do it all differently but she couldn't and all she could do was move on with her life and hope for the best. The one thing she was sure of was she was never going to leave Dave again.

As Tessa and Dave were on their way to their home John was still upset about everything that had happened. He called his mom over so that he could talk to her. Carol wasted no time to come over to her son's house. She walked into the house and called his name, "John, where are you?"

"The kitchen," he said as he sat at the table drinking a beer.

"What is going on?" she asked.

"She's gone," said John.

"What?"

"Tessa's gone. She took Zachary and Scarlet and she left. She's going back to New York."

"She left you for Dave again didn't she?" asked Carol.

"Yeah," he said taking a sip of his beer. "She left with Dave."

"That hussy. I knew this was going to happen. And you let her take Zachary?" asked Carol.

"No. I wasn't going to but he wanted to go with her."

"So you just let him leave with her. You know she can take him out of this state and never bring him back. She has that right and you can't do anything about it."

"She can't keep him from me forever. I am his father."

"You may be his father but you two have no custody agreement in place. Nothing can be done."

"And that's why I'm getting a lawyer and going for full custody of him. She is not getting way with this. She has taken everything away from me. She doesn't get to take my son away from me and Dave he has a rude awakening coming his way. He thinks he's going to get away with taking my fiance' he has another thing coming and she didn't even give me back my engagement ring."

"I hope you do get full custody of him and make her give the ring back. If she doesn't want to be with you she doesn't need the ring."

"I know," said John. "I'm planning everything out in my head. I will not lose the woman I love nor will I lose my son. I've been through too much to lose it all again."

"What makes you think you can get Tessa back and why would you want her back?"

"Because I love her and I know she will NEVER allow me full custody of Zachary unless she is in the house. I'll get her back and I'll use Zachary to do it."

"Do you really want Zachary or is it about getting Tessa back?"

"Getting Tessa back. It's like a packaged deal," he said before taking another drink of beer.

***A/N: So what did you think? Please review and thank-you for taking the time to read. **


	30. Chapter 30

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much!**

Dave and Tessa arrived in New York at the home they once shared together the same one she once shared with John as well. Tessa hobbled into the house followed by the kids and Dave. She looked around and said, "I think we should sell this house."

"Sell it?" asked Dave. "I thought this was your dream house. You like this house."

"I did," she said, "but since I shared it with John it has lost its importance. I don't want to live in a house that I shared with him. Let's find a new house in the city. I would love to live in a penthouse over looking Manhattan. I just love the city. Let's move to the city."

"But what about playgrounds and stuff like that?" asked Dave.

"That's what Central Park is for. I love New York. I want to live in the city and enjoy the city life. It will be convenient for both of us."

"If that's what you want to do. I love when you come off fresh and want a new beginning," said Dave. "It's always fun."

"Well, I want something new; a place for new memories," she said. "Are you okay with that?"

"I am," said Dave. "I would like to live in the city. It will be something different for us."

"It will," said Tessa, "but I need to sit down." She was starting to feel weak because she still hadn't gained all of her strength back from losing the baby and her ankle was hurting her as well. She had a long day and she needed to rest.

"Of course," said Dave with a smile as he scooped her up to carry her to the living room.

Tessa let out a giggle and said, "what are you doing?"

"Taking you to the living room," he said as he carried her to the living room. "I figured I would sweep you off your feet."

"Shut up," she said with a smile. She missed Dave's jokes and his humor. She missed Dave. She missed his touch, she missed his smile, she missed him…more importantly she missed her relationship with him. "You're lucky I love you."

"I love you too," he said with a smile as he softly kissed her lips. "We're going to have a great life together; even better than before," he said as he laid her down on the couch. "Is there anything you need?"

"No. I'm all right," she said, "but I think you should call a lawyer for the whole thing with Scarlet and it wouldn't hurt to have one for Zachary just in case John pulls his tricks. I just have this feeling he is going to pull one of his tricks."

"I'll kill him," said Dave. "He will never get Zachary. I will make sure of it. There is no way."

"I hope not," said Tessa. "John has anger issues and his daughter is crazy."

"Was Ryan crazy like her?"

"No she wasn't she was the sweetest person in the world even though I slept with her husband.. She was sweet to me when she was my friend."

"I see so I guess it comes from her father and what's up with the two younger kids what are their names?"

"Zuri and Zaiden," she answered, "and I don't' know. I'm going to miss them. I've been raising them since they were babies."

"I know," said Dave as Scarlet and Zachary came into the living room.

"Mommy, are you sure it's not my fault you lost the baby?" asked Scarlet.

"Scarlet," said Dave, "it is not your fault. Do not blame yourself. It was Zola's fault. She has problems."

"Is Zola going to jail?" asked Scarlet.

"Hopefully," said Dave, "no one gets away with hurting my little princess."

"I feel bad for Zola," said Scarlet with as much honesty as possible.

"Why?" asked Tessa. She was curious as to how her little girl could possibly feel bad for the person that tried to kill her. Tessa believed that Scarlet was a lot stronger than she was.

"Because she doesn't have a mommy," said Scarlet. "I think because she doesn't have a mommy makes her so mad. I don't know why she hurts me but she is sad."

"How do you know she is sad?" asked Dave.

"Because it's in her eyes. She's sad because she doesn't have a mommy anymore. That's why she didn't like you mommy because she thought you were trying to take the place of her mommy. She didn't want anyone to be her mommy except Miss Ryan. She loved her mommy."

"I know she loved her mommy," said Tessa, "but does that give her the right to hurt you?"

"Mommy, she is hurting too. She only wanted me to feel the pain she has."

"Scarlet, how old are you?" asked Dave as he listened to his daughter talk. She spoke as if she was an adult.

"Almost 7," she said earnestly.

"Do you want Zola to go to jail?" asked Dave.

"No because she is a little girl," said Scarlet. "She just needs help."

"But she tried to kill you," said Dave, "you don't think she should go to jail for that. That was something bad. People go to jail for doing bad things."

"I know, Daddy, but she is only a little girl. I think she should get help not go to jail. She misses her mommy."

"That's no excuse," said Tessa. She was unwilling to forgive Zola for what she had done but Scarlet was on the forgiveness train. "She did something bad. She needs to go to jail."

"But Mommy, she is only a little girl please don't send her to jail. She needs help, Mommy. Can't she get help and not go to jail?"

"Scarlet, I don't know," said Tessa. "I don't know."

"Think about it," she said. "I'm going up to my bedroom to see all the toys I left here."

"Okay," said Tessa as she watched Scarlet head upstairs.

"She's right," said Zachary. "Zola is only a little girl. Don't send her to jail. Make her get help," he said getting up to go upstairs.

When the two children left the living room Dave took a seat next to Tessa on the couch. "What do you think about that?"

"I think that Zola brainwashed our children," said Tessa. "Why wouldn't Scarlet want Zola to go to jail?"

"Because Scarlet is a sweet little girl that tries to find the good in everyone. You know just like her mommy. She truly cares about Zola it seems."

"And do you agree with what she said?"

"No. Not in the least. I think Zola should go to jail. I think she should go for a long time but I do see why Scarlet is so sensitive to her. She doesn't have a mother."

"I know. I've heard it for the last year now. I get it but that doesn't mean she can go around trying to kill other children. What if she would have killed Scarlet, Dave? She came close to doing it. If I had gotten up there any later we would have lost our baby girl. She could have killed her," said Tessa with tears in her eyes. "I will never forgive Zola for that."

"I know. I understand you're upset so am I. Zola is nuts. She has been nuts for some time but that's John's fault. If he would have stepped up and been a man from the time she started acting out none of this would have happened. He was the passive one on the entire situation."

"I know and that drove me nuts. Every time she did something wrong it was 'she doesn't have a mother.'"

"And that was wrong of him"

"Very," said Tessa, "so where do you stand on the Zola thing?"

"I'm not changing my mind Tessa. I know my daughter has a good heart but there are some things I can't get passed. She almost took my princess away from me. I am not dropping the charges and we're going to court."

"Do you think she could get out of it with insanity? I mean after all Zola is insane."

"I don't know. I hope not but you never know with a judge. They are all different. We could have her cut a deal," he said thinking about it.

"A deal? She's only 9. She has no idea what a deal is," said Tessa.

"She may not but her lawyer does. Do you think a deal would be better?" asked Dave.

"What do you mean a deal? What kind of deal are you talking about?" asked Tessa.

"Have her admit that she is guilty of poisoning Scarlet for 6 months in a center that will provide her help."

"That's nothing. She almost killed our daughter, Dave. I think she deserves more than 6 months in some center that will give her help."

"I know but think about it. If she would have killed Scarlet you would never get her back so sending her to jail would do nothing. Scarlet would still be gone and that would have changed nothing. Scarlet is still alive and she is healthy so sending Zola to jail isn't really going to do anything. Zola needs help but we have to make sure it's mandatory or she goes to jail."

"I don't know. I don't like it. I think Zola deserves a lot more than just 6 months in a center."

"Tessa, Scarlet is right she is a little girl.. And for all you know they may not take the deal."

"I want a year in a center if there is any deal and it has to be hands on and intensive to ensure she gets ALL the help she needs. 6 months isn't going to cure her of her insanity. It's not right but whatever."

"Think about it, Tessa, you lost a baby that you will never get back. And that hurts you more than anything. If Scarlet had died you would never get her back and you would be destroyed. Zola as crazy as she is is someone's child."

"I lost my baby because of her," said Tessa, "so excuse me if my sympathy isn't overwhelming for John or anyone else. Oh and not to mention she tried to kill my daughter. I don't know…"

"I know you're hurting and I know you're pissed and I am too but I just think we should go a different route about this and offer a deal. I want to give her a deal. I don't think jail will help her because I'm sure Zola isn't stupid. She is only 9 and has a lot of life ahead of her. I think she can turn her life around with help but putting her in jail could make her worse. Do you see what I mean?"

"Yeah, I do," said Tessa. "I know what you mean but I'm not happy about it."

"I know but you know it's the right thing."

"Whatever," she said.

***A/N: So what did you think? Please review and thank-you for reading. **


	31. Chapter 31

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. THey were greatly appreciated. THank-you all so much!**

About a week later Tessa was sitting in the living room working on her next book when her cell phone rang. She picked it up from the stand and saw John's name highlighted on the screen. She wanted to ignore it but as soon as she put the phone down again it started ringing. She knew John and she knew he wouldn't quit until he talked to her so she put her pen down and answered the phone. "Hello? We're not supposed to be talking."

"I don't care about me not having contact with you or your family. You have my son," said John.

"You should care but for the record we'll mark down that YOU called me and I didn't call you."

"Whatever," said John, "when are you bringing Zachary to see me. I want to see my son," he said.

"John, I'm not. We're staying in New York," said Tessa. "I have no plans to bring him back to West Newbury."

"Tessa, you don't get a choice. Zachary is MY son and I have the right to see him," said John. "And I want to see him now bring him to West Newbury."

"If only it were that simple," said Tessa. "I can't just drop everything I am doing and drive 4 hours to West Newbury for you to see Zachary. Besides I have a broken ankle because I was pushed down the stairs. Remember that?"

"I don't' care about a broken ankle," said John. "I want my son and I will get him."

"John, we're not doing this," said Tessa. "I'm not fighting with you about this. I told you Zachary isn't coming to West Newbury. I'm sorry."

"You don't make that decision."

"I am his mother. I make whatever decision I think is best," said Tessa.

"And I am his father," said John, "I can make decisions too."

"No, John, you don't make decisions. I am the one that went through over 12 hours of labor with him and spent 3 hours pushing him out.. I am the one that had an 8 lb 10 oz baby come out of a hole the size of a dime. I had a foot in my ribs everyday for almost 4 months, I was up at night being kicked and had him flipping all about all night every night. I had the sore breasts, I had the morning sickness… so no John you don't make the decisions. I make the decisions. I was awake at every feeding in the middle of the night. I dealt with teething.. You don't get to tell me what you're going to do. I'm telling you what I am going to do. You're not getting Zachary."

"It doesn't matter, Tessa, he is my son. I have a right to see him and I will see him so when are you bringing him to West Newbury."

"I'm not, John. I just told you that. I don't' have time to argue. Goodbye."

"Tessa don't…" he said as Tessa hung up the phone on him.

Tessa turned her phone off so she wouldn't be distracted anymore. John really annoyed her. She was scared to let him see Zachary because she wasn't sure what Zola would do to him. It wasn't even just Zola but she knew that if she let John see him she would never get him back and she couldn't allow that to happen. She knew what John was capable of and there was no way she was even going to give him the chance to pull one of his tricks. Tessa went back to writing before Dave came in the door from work. "Hey, Beautiful," he said with a smile as he walked in and kissed her on the top of her head.

"Hey," she said looking up at him.

"So I called my attorney today and called off the divorce. He said I called just in time so the divorce proceedings have been stopped. Did you call yours?"

"Yes," she said. "And we are still married and there is no divorce."

"Are you okay?" he asked. "You seem like something is bothering you."

"Nothing," said Tessa. "It's nothing."

"It doesn't sound like nothing," he said as he sat down next to her. "Something happened so why don't you just tell me." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to him. "What's wrong?"

"John," she said.

"John? What did he do?" asked Dave.

"He called me telling me he wants to see Zachary. I told him no and he got upset. He said he has the right to see him because that's his son. He said I don't get to make the decisions."

"You're his mother. You can make any decision you want. You know it's not the best environment for him to be in so why should you send him to a negative environment? You're doing the right thing as his mother. And what is Romeo calling you for? He's not supposed to have any contact with this family."

"I know and I told him that but he didn't care," said Tessa. "He said he wants Zachary and that's why he called. I don't' want to send Zachary to him. I know I won't get him back."

"I know you won't. You don't have to send him to John if you don't want to. You're not obligated to give him visitation."

"I know," she said. "I'm not going to send him to West Newbury."

"So don't," said Dave, "anyway enough about him. How is your book coming?"

"Good," she said. "I really like this bully theme."

"With all the bullying going on these days there can never be too many books about bullying. It's something kids need to be aware of these days."

"I know," said Tessa, "You know ever since we sent Scarlet back to her school she's been happier and she actually likes school. She hated school in West Newbury."

"I'm glad she's happy again," said Dave. "What about you? Are you happy?"

"Ecstatic," said Tessa with a smile. "I'm super happy."

"That's good," he said with a smile. "I'm glad you're happy. You deserve to be happy."

"I know," said Tessa with a smile. "So when are we renewing our vows?"

"I don't know. Maybe in August on our anniversary," he said. "Does that sound good to you? You can finally have the wedding you deserve."

"The wedding we deserve," said Tessa, "although the way we did it before wasn't too bad. I don't even know who I can invite. It's not like I have friends or family anymore."

"It's okay. We'll worry about that later," said Dave. "It doesn't matter."

"I know but never mind you're right it doesn't matter. I'm happy and that's all that matters," she said.

"Yep," he said. "So can I get you anything? A drink or something?"

"No I'm all right," she said, "but you can bring me the mail."

"All right," he said getting up to get the mail. He walked to the front door and opened it to get the mail out of the mail box and took it to Tessa like she requested. "Here you go," he said handing it to her.

"Thanks, Baby," she said as she flipped through the envelopes. "Bills, Bills, Bills… what is this?" she asked as she held a manila envelope in her hand addressed to her and from an attorney's office.

"What?" asked Dave.

"This," she said showing it to him, "it's from an attorney."

"Maybe it has to do with everything that happened with Zola and Scarlet," said Dave.

"I don't know it's from West Newbury," she said as she opened it. She read over the papers and her heart jumped into her throat. She felt tears burning her eyes as she read the horrible papers in front of her.

"What is it?" asked Dave concerned at his wife's reaction.

"That asshole," said Tessa with so much hatred even Dave didn't even know she was capable of having.

"What asshole?" asked Dave.

"John," she said as she handed him the papers. Dave read over the papers that had upset Tessa.

"Are you kidding me? Are you Fucking kidding me?"

"Does it look like a joke? That asshole is suing me for custody of Zachary. What am I supposed to do? I can't fight this. He has a right. He's Zachary's father.."

"You get an attorney a REALLY good attorney and go to court like you have to."

"And what if I lose? What if John gets him?"

"Tessa, you have been taking care of Zachary since he was a baby. There is no way John is going to get him. I think this is a trick. This is one of Romeo's games. He's doing this to get to you. He knows that you can never live without Zachary. He's doing this to get you back."

"He doesn't want me back. He wants Zachary. He wants full custody of Zachary. This is ridiculous. He's not going to get him. I won't let him get him," she said getting upset.

"Tessa, just relax. We'll call the attorney and we'll handle this. Do not worry about a thing. John isn't going to win. How could he with everything that's happened with Zola. It's a dangerous environment you can't really think a judge in their right mind is going to award him custody do you?"

"I don't. It's going to be a West Newbury judge. I would think they have influence."

"Wasn't your dad a lawyer?" asked Dave.

"Yeah he was," said Tessa with a smile. "And he knew every judge in West Newbury. I think we might have luck on our side."

"See? You don't have anything to worry about. The judges know you're a good mother so you don't have to worry about John getting custody but I have to worry about him coming after you. I don't trust him, Tess. I think this is a trick and he's doing this to get to you. I don't trust him. The guy is crazy."

"Dave, you have to know I am not going to leave you again for John. I'm with you and you make me happiest. I'm not going anywhere."

"I don't know.. John can be manipulative. Promise me you're not going to fall for his trick."

"I'm not going to fall for his trick. Relax, you look all tense," she said. "Relax, Baby."

"I am trying," said Dave.

***A/N: So what did you think? Please review and thank-you for reading. **


	32. Chapter 32

***Thank-you for all the reviews on the last chapter. they were greatly appreciated thank-you all so much. **

Once Tessa got her orders from the court to appear for a custody hearing she sought a lawyer. She sought a very good lawyer because she wanted to win. She couldn't allow John to get full custody of Zachary. It would destroy her if he ended up getting him and moving him to West Newbury. Tessa felt confident on the day of the hearing that she would end up winning because she had a lot against John but she had her flaws as well. She knew that with his mother's help John would have plenty against her in his corner. Dave was going to the hearing for support and plus Tessa was still in a cast from her broken ankle so she couldn't drive by herself. They had to take Zachary with them and Scarlet was staying down in New York with Dave's mother. They didn't want her anywhere near John or his family until it was time for the hearing involving Zola.

Tessa and Dave arrived in West Newbury and drove straight to the courthouse where they met up with Tessa's lawyer right away. John and his mother were waiting in the hall as they walked up. "Don't say anything to them," said Tessa to Dave. "Just ignore them."

"I won't say anything unless they say something to you," said Dave as he took her hand as they walked over to sit down on a bench with Zachary.

They were doing their best to ignore John and his mother but John made his way over to them to see Zachary. "Hey, there buddy," he said.

"Hey," said Zachary unenthusiastically as he moved closer to Tessa as she put her arm around him.

"What's wrong, Buddy? I'm your dad. Aren't you glad to see me?" asked John.

"No," said Zachary, "I am not."

"You brainwashed him, Tess," said John. "He doesn't even want to see his own father. What did you say to him?"

"I didn't say anything," said Tessa. "I can't help that he's a smart boy and sees the truth of the situation."

"And what truth would that be?" asked John.

"You know what truth I'm talking about," said Tessa.

"No, Tessa, I really don't know what truth you're talking about. You should enlighten me."

"Romeo, why don't you go away? You're not even supposed to have contact with Tessa," said Dave.

"Why don't you mind your own business, Batista? This is your fault in the first place."

"My fault?" asked Dave. "How is this my fault?"

"You brainwashed Tessa into leaving me. You knew she wasn't in the right place so you used that to your advantage to swoop her away."

"Oh sort of like you did when you slept with her after her parents died?" asked Dave.

"No," said John. "She wanted to sleep with me. We were happy till you came along."

"Whatever you want to think, Romeo," said Dave. "Now go away."

"I'm visiting my son," said John. "You can't keep me from my son."

"You tried to keep me from my daughter," said Dave, "so don't give me that."

"I never tried to keep you from your daughter. You're crazy."

"Moving my wife to West Newbury… I know your games."

"There was no game and Tessa was happy with the move till you fed her ideas."

"I didn't feed her ideas. She saw you for what you truly were an asshole. Now go away."

"I'm visiting my son," said John.

"He doesn't want to be bothered with you. Go away," said Dave.

"John, please go," said Tessa. "All you're doing is causing a ruckus. Please go."

"Mr. Cena," said Tessa's attorney. "It would be best if you did walk away."

"All right," said John putting his hands up in the air. "I'm going. I'm going." He walked away and went to take a seat next to his mom until it was time for them to go inside the courtroom for the hearing.

It wasn't long after that that they were called into the courtroom for the hearing. They all walked into the courtroom and sat on opposites sides. The judge came in and ordered them to be seated. They took their seats and the hearing was underway. John was called upon first to give reasons why he should have full custody of Zachary and how he could provide better for him than Tessa. "Your Honor, I would be the better parent for Zachary because I can provide him a life of stability. Tessa hasn't always been able to do that. She's bounced back between her current husband and me for years now. She can't make up her mind on what she wants. I'm not sure she is a fit mother to Zachary. Her daughter was poisoned under her watch but she was too busy writing to know what was going on. I also believe that Tessa is not in the right mind state to raise Zachary as she is unsure of what she wants or what she needs. I just feel that when Tessa gets tired of being a mother she will walk out and abandon Zachary. After all she didn't want him in the first place."

"Your Honor," said Tessa, "any woman that finds out their unmarried and pregnant will feel they don't want the baby but I have been there everyday for my son's life and I would never walk out and abandon him. I love him with my whole heart. I have given him the best that I can. WE live in a great neighborhood, he goes to a private school and I have allowed him the opportunities of playing the violin and playing sports. He is a football and soccer player. He's going to be a hockey player this winter so Your Honor, I do the best that I can for my son."

"And what about this poison incident?" asked the judge. "YOur daughter was poisoned?"

"Yes," said Tessa, "but only because his psychologically deranged daughter poisoned her. I thought they were just playing tea party but his daughter got into the cleaning supplies and gave them to my daughter. I ran to my daughter's aide right away and called 911. I must say that his daughter is currently waiting trial for attempted homicide not to mention his daughter has been picking on my daughter for some time. I told him about it but he made excuses and failed to get her the help that she needed. She cut my daughter, hit my daughter and abused my daughter. Yet he failed to do anything to control his child. I don't think he is fit to be a father if he can't even control one of his kids."

"Your Honor, my daughter lost her mother and has been undergoing therapy since. She's not psychologically deranged."

"Your daughter tried to kill her daughter," said the lawyer. "Tessa, what was it that Zola said to you the day she poisoned Scarlet?"

"She said and I quote, 'I did do it. I wanted Scarlet to die. And I would do it again.' She said that to me plain as day before she pushed me down the stairs causing me to miscarry my baby and causing me to break my ankle."

"Your Honor, She acted in self-defense," said John's lawyer. "She was slapped in the face by Mrs. Montgomery-Batista. She is only 8 years old. Didn't you slap her, Mrs. Montgomery-Batista?"

"Yes I did but only because of what she said about Scarlet. I have never in my life hit any of my children nor do I plan to."

"But you hit John's daughter?"

"Because she deserved it. She's the devil," said Tessa. "The absolute devil. She's full of evil."

"She's a child," said John's attorney.

"And so is Tessa's daughter that was poisoned by Mr. Cena's daughter. How can your client provide a safe home for his son when there is a psychologically deranged child running around poisoning the other children and trying to murder them?" asked Tessa's attorney. "Mr. Cena, how can you provide a safe home for your son?"

"My daughter is living with her grandmother right now because she's not allowed in the house," said John. "There is nothing wrong with the home it is safe."

"Does your child have access to the home and is she able to visit?"

"Of course she visits," said John. "She's my daughter."

"So how is that safe for your other children, Mr. Cena?"

"Because I keep a close eye on her," he said.

"Anything can happen in a minute," said Tessa's lawyer. "Why didn't you do something when you were told that your daughter was physically hurting another child in your home?"

"Because I felt she was getting the help she needed."

"So you disregarded everything and felt that a few hours a week at therapy would help her problem?"

"Yes," said John. "I did."

"But it didn't help did it and you let it fall through the cracks and it turned into the death of your unborn child and an almost homicide correct?"

"Yes," said John feeling defeated.

"What about Mrs. Montgomery-Batista?" asked John's lawyer. "She was in charge when it happened."

"And had your client gotten his child the help she needed none of this would have happened," said Tessa's attorney.

"I've heard enough," said the judge. "This is all irrelevant but what I do see here is a man that seems to have trouble controlling his children but wants to add another one into his home while I see a woman that loves her children deeply that will do what it takes to protect them. Mr. John Cena, your request for full custody is denied."

"What?" asked John. "SO Tessa gets full custody?"

"Yes," said the judge. "However you will get visitation but for visitation you must travel to New York and visit with him for the day because he is not allowed in your home under any circumstances. You can visit him every other Saturday from 7 am until 6 pm."

"Okay," said John. He was not happy with the results of the hearing but he would be able to try again in a few months. He wanted more than a day with his son but the judge had made his decision.

"Case dismissed," said the judge.

"Thank-you," said Tessa as happily as could be. She was so happy and grateful that she retained full custody of Zachary and John would only be able to see him for 11 hours one day a week every other week. "We won," she said to Dave as she hugged him.

"I know, Baby," he said with a smile as he hugged her back. "Are you ready to go back to New York?"

"Absolutely," said Tessa, "maybe now we can take the first step in starting our new life," she said taking his hand.

"Starting with our vow renewal," he said as they walked out of the courtroom as happily as could be. John glared them down as they walked out of the room. He was filled with so much anger it was unbelievable. He couldn't remember ever being that angry.

***So what did you think? Please review and thank-you for reading. **


	33. Chapter 33

***THank-you for all the reviews on the last chapter. THey were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much! **

After John and his mom left the courthouse they went back to John's house. John was very upset over the entire hearing and how everything turned out. He was sure he would have gotten Zachary. He didn't understand what went wrong. "Are you okay?" asked Carol as her son sat at the kitchen table drinking a cup of water.

"How can I be okay after everything that happened today? Am I that bad of a father that I can't even get my own son?" he asked.

"John, you're not a bad dad," said Carol. "You're an amazing dad. The judge just can't see that. We can appeal the decision."

"I don't know if I want to do all that. Is it worth it?"

"Is your son worth it?" asked Carol.

"Well, he is worth it but I don't know. Maybe he's not meant to be mine."

"He is your son. You should be able to get more than 11 hours with him every other week. That's just crazy. I think you got gypped."

"I do too but what can you do. I'm not a good enough father in the eyes of the courts."

"Who cares what the court says you are an amazing father. Look at Zuri and Zaiden. They are amazing children and they need you so maybe for a while you should stop focusing on Zachary and focus on those two little ones. They're so precious and they need their father."

"I know but I feel like I'm neglecting Zola too," he said. "I feel so bad that she has to live out of her home."

"John, she is fine at my house. That's what's best for her right now. I don't think she would ever hurt Zuri or Zaiden but keeping her away from them is a good idea. You are not neglecting her in anyway. You're all right."

"I don't know, Mom. I just feel like the worst dad in the world."

"You're not, John. Why don't you spend the day with Zuri and Zaiden. Take them to the park and enjoy the day with them. Just take your mind off everything and remind yourself that you still have two wonderful kids that need you and love you."

"I know, Mom. I think I might just do that. We haven't gone to the park in a while. I'm sure they could use some time out."

"I think all three of you could use an afternoon out so go out and enjoy yourselves."

"I will," said John as he got up to put the cup in the sink. His mom was right he still had other kids to worry about then Zachary. He was looking forward to taking the kids to the park because he felt that Zuri and Zaiden were often forgot about by him as he was always focusing on Zola and Zachary. He couldn't remember the last time he spent the day with just the two younger ones. They had gone through just as much as Zola whether they understood it or not and with Tessa being the only mom they ever knew and her leaving was going to be just as hard for them. He knew they needed him just as much as Zola.

He got up and walked upstairs to get them up from their naps so they could go to the park. He walked into Zuri's room first and she was standing in the crib with a smile on her face. "Hi, Daddy," she said.

"Hi, Zuri," he said as he took her out of the crib. "We're going to have a fun afternoon. We're going to the park but Daddy has to change your diaper first. Do you need a diaper change?" He laid her down on the changing table and changed her diaper. After he finished he pulled her curly dark brown hair up into a ponytail before he went to get Zaiden out of his crib. He took Zuri with him as he walked into the nursery. Zaiden was sitting up in his crib but as John entered he stood up with a giant smile to see his dad. It melted John's heart to see them both smile. "Hey, Buddy," he said with a smile as he walked over to pick him up out of the crib. He changed his diaper as well and got him ready to go to the park. "You need a major haircut, Zaiden," said John as he ran his hands through Zaiden's curly hair. "It is getting out of control." Zaiden just smiled at him.

John took the two downstairs and put them in the living room to play while he packed up a diaper bag for them so he had everything he needed for them. Once everything was packed up he got the two ready and put them in the double stroller and walked down the street to the park. John pointed out trees and dogs to the kids as he pushed the stroller. He pointed to flowers and pointed out the sky as Zaiden kept saying the word sun and pointing to the sky. Zuri was singing in her own made up language as they continued on with their walk. "Yay!" said Zuri as she clapped her hands as they entered the park.

"You're right yay," said John as he pushed the stroller under a tree before taking the kids out of the stroller so they could play. He took them over to the swings and put them in the baby swings and began to push them. Zaiden and Zuri giggled and laughed as they were pushed. John was glad to see them so happy. When the two tired of the swings he took them to the slide where they took turns going down the slide. They had gone down the slide at least 10-15 times. John lost count after the 8th time. Once they were tired of the slide he took them to the jungle gym and played on the jungle gym with them. They ran across the bridge and went down the slide. He was having a blast with the kids and they were having just as good as a time. He even took them to the sandbox so that they could play in the sand but that didn't last long as they started throwing sand at each other so he had to take them out. He took them over to the tree where the stroller was, put out a blanket and had them sit down for a snack of cheerios and milk. They were enjoying their snack when a blonde woman walked over with a little girl and a baby not much older than Zuri and Zaiden.

"Excuse me," she said, "but I was watching you with your little ones. I feel like I know you from somewhere. I've seen you but I can't place it."

"Well, I did wrestle in WWE for a few years maybe that's where you saw me," he said.

"No. I don't watch WWE but you look awfully familiar. I think I went to high school with you. Did you graduate in 1996 from the prep school down the street?"

"Yes, I did," he said with a smile. "Are you Kelli Jameson?"

"I am," she said with a smile. "You're John Cena. I know you. You were in a couple of my classes. You never really talked to me but I remember you. You were going out with that sophomore our senior year. What was her name Tina?"

"Tessa and yes.. I did date a sophomore our senior year," he said. "How've you been? What are you up to?"

"I've been pretty good. I've been working. I actually teach at that school now. I'm an English teacher and I'm a mother."

"I see that," said John. "I'm a father. And obviously you know I was a wrestler."

"I heard that a few times," she said with a smile. "So are you married to Tessa?"

"No. No. We actually broke up about 8 years ago.. Then we got back together but we recently broke up again. What about you? Are you married?"

"No. My husband and me split up about 4 months ago," she said. "I thought you and Tessa would be together forever."

"I thought so too," he said looking at Zuri and Zaiden.

"Are those your kids?"

"Yes. This is Zaiden and this is Zuri. I have a son with Tessa named Zachary he's 8 years old and I have a 9 year old daughter named Zola," he answered.

"Wow," she said. "I just have two kids. This is my daughter Olivia," she said pointing to the little girl standing next to her. "She's 5 years old and this is my other daughter Amelia she just turned a year old last month."

"They're beautiful," said John.

"Thank-you," she said. "So do you come here often? I haven't seen you hear before."

"Not usually. This is something new for us," he said. "I needed to get the kids out of the house so we decided to come to the park and play for a little bit. It's a nice playground I think we'll be coming more often."

"That's great," she said. "So you're doing this daddy thing on your own?"

"Yeah," he said.

"That's great. I think it's great when father is involved with his children. I couldn't get my ex to help me at all with our children. Dads like you are awesome."

"Thanks," he said with a smile.

"No problem," she said. "We were getting ready to head out of here but if you ever want to have a playdate or anything you can give me a call."

"I'd like that," he said. "My kids don't have much friends or interact with other kids that often. I would love to set up a playdate."

"All right," she said as she pulled out a piece of paper and a pen. She wrote her number down on the paper and handed it to John. "This is my number feel free to call whenever and we'll set up a playdate."

"All right. Thank-you," said John with a smile.

"Well, we're going to go. Have a good day."

"You too," said John. "Bye."

"Bye," said Kelli with a smile before walking away with her children.

"Your dad still has it," said John with a smile as he talked to Zuri and Zaiden.

"Daddy funny," said Zuri as she laughed at him.

"I know.. Daddy is a clown huh?" he asked as he picked up a cheerio to eat.

"You clown," said Zaiden.

"Yep," said John as he sat with the kids and continued to enjoy the afternoon with them.

***A/N: So what did you think? Please review and thank-you for reading. **


	34. Chapter 34

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. THey were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much. **

A few days later after John's trip to the park and meeting Kelli he had to meet with Zola's attorney to go over the case. John was not looking forward to it. He wasn't looking forward to anything that involved Zola's case. He thought Dave had gone overboard by pressing charges against a 9 year old. John found it all to be ridiculous. John and Zola were sitting outside waiting for their meeting when Zola said, "Dad, am I going to jail?"

"I don't know, Zo," said John. "Maybe. Maybe not. It all depends on how the jury finds things."

"If I go to jail will I be there for a long time?"

"I don't know," said John. "I hope not you're just a little girl."

"I know. This isn't fair, Dad," said Zola.

"Then why did you do it? The consequences of this is bigger than time out. Why would you do something so horrible?" asked John.

"I don't know. Because I was jealous. I didn't like you with Tessa and I didn't like Scarlet. I wanted to hurt Scarlet to get rid of Tessa. I didn't like her. I thought she was trying to take my mom's place."

"Zola, she wasn't trying to take your mom's place. No one could ever take your mom's place."

"But you love her more than you loved my mom," said Zola.

"Tessa and me have a long history. We've been friends for over 30 years. She is my best friend. I do love her, I have always loved her and I will always love her."

"But you love her more than you loved my mom," said Zola.

"Maybe I do but that doesn't mean I love your mom any less. Your mom was an amazing woman. I love her in her own right for who she was and I love Tessa for who she is. They are different women and I love them both."

"Okay, Dad. I don't want to go to jail. My mom would be so mad at me for doing this."

"You're right she wouldn't be proud of what you did. She would really be upset. She didn't' raise you to be like this," said John. "So why be so mean?"

"I don't know. I'm just so angry that God took my mom. Why did he take her, Dad? Why did he take her away from me?"

"Sometimes God needs angels. He was looking for a really good angel and then he found your mom and said it was time for her to go. He needed her in Heaven."

"But I need her too," said Zola.

"I know you do but you have me. You will always have me, Zo."

"But what if I go to jail? I don't want to go to jail. I'm sorry I did what I did. I won't ever do it again. Please don't let them send me to jail," she said sadly. She was on the brink of breaking down. She was really scared about what was going to happen when she went to court for poisoning Scarlet.

"Zola, I can't do anything. It hurts me that I can't help you. All you can do is pray that you won't go to jail or if you do that you don't go away that long." John knew it would take a miracle for them.

"Okay, Dad," she said sadly.

"Mr. Cena, Come on in. I'm ready for you," said Zola's attorney as he popped his head out the door.

"All right," said John getting up with Zola. They walked into his office and took a seat.

"How are you today, Zola?" asked the attorney.

"Sad. Scared," she answered.

"She is a little worried about going to jail," said John. "Is she going to go to jail?"

"Well, I talked to Scarlet's attorney and they want to make a deal."

"What kind of a deal?" asked John. "I'm not sure I like deals."

"A deal that will keep Zola out of jail and keep this from going to trial."

"All right. Let's hear this deal."

"They are proposing that Zola plead guilty and if she pleads guilty she only gets mandatory psychiatric treatment at a facility for 3-6 months."

"My daughter doesn't need psychiatric treatment," said John. "That's crazy and 3-6 months? That's ridiculous."

"Your daughter tried to kill another child. That doesn't put up a red flag to psychiatric issues?"

"I pay you to help us not to tell me my daughter is crazy," said John.

"I'm not saying she's crazy to be an ass. I'm telling you that her pleading guilty and going to an intense psychiatric treatment center is the best way to go. It keeps her out of jail and she will be home after 3-6 months. If she doesn't plead guilty the deal is going to be off the table and if it's off the table she faces jail time."

"How much jail time are we looking at?" asked John.

"As a minor she can be sentenced up till 25 years of age. That's 16 years in jail. Is that what you want for her?"

"16 years?" asked John. "That's extreme for a 9 year old."

"Do I have to remind you this is an attempted homicide charge? It's not like the judge will only send her for a month or two because she's 9 years old. The judge can give her the maximum sentence if convicted. I would advise you take the deal, get her the help she needs, this doesn't go to trial and you move on with your lives."

"So you're saying it would be better to take the deal than try our luck in court?"

"That's what I'm saying. It is better to take the deal and get the help she needs."

"Zola, what do you think?"

"I think I don't want to go to jail for 16 years," said Zola.

"So you want to take the deal and get psychiatric help?" asked John.

"That's better than 16 years," said Zola. "I want to take the deal."

"So you're willing to plead guilty?" asked the attorney.

"Yes," said Zola. "I am willing to plead guilty."

"All right," said the attorney. "John, are you okay with this?"

"If this is what Zola wants to do then I'm okay with it."

"Good" said the attorney. "This is the best way to go."

"Why did they offer a deal?" asked John. "Dave was so adamant about sending Zola to jail and pressing charges. Now all of a sudden all he wants to do is make a deal and wants her to get help. What made him change his mind?"

"I have nothing to say," said the attorney, "you may want to ask him because I was given no information."

"I don't talk to him," said John.

"All right,' he said. "I just need some signatures."

"Okay," said John reading over the paper before he signed it. "Zola, before I sign this are you sure this is what you want to do?"

"I'm sure, Dad," she said.

"Okay," said John as he signed the papers. "I hope this is the right thing," He said as he handed the papers back to the attorney.

***A/N: So what did you think? Please review and thank-you for reading. **


	35. Chapter 35

***Thaknk-you for the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much! **

About a week and a half later Tessa, Dave and Scarlet were sitting at Zachary's baseball game. "Come on, Zachary!" yelled Dave cheering him on as he was up to bat.

"Yeah, Zachary!" yelled Scarlet as she cheered her brother on. Zachary looked embarrassed as he focused on the pitcher so he could hit the ball.

Zachary stayed concentrated on the pitcher and watched as he pitched the ball once but didn't swing, he watched it a second time but didn't swing but on the third pitch he hit the ball so hard it flew into the outfield. "Yeah, Zachary!" yelled Tessa, "that's my baby!" She was incredibly proud of Zachary and loved to watch him play sports whether it was baseball, football or basketball. He was an athlete like his father. There wasn't a sport he wasn't interested in and a sport that he couldn't play. He was dedicated just like John. Tessa could see John in Zachary he was just like John when he was little. It pained Tessa at times because she didn't' want Zachary to be like his father not at all did she want her only son to be like his father. She secretly wished that Zachary would take after her.

Their cheers of Zachary making a homerun were interrupted by a clap coming from behind them and then they heard. "That's MY boy," said John clapping his hands.

"John, what are you doing here?" asked Tessa.

"I came to see MY son," he said. "I do have that right to see my son."

"You didn't call," said Tessa. "We have plans after the game to get ice-cream."

"I wasn't aware that I was supposed to call," said John as Zachary looked out to the crowd to see his mom and dad in discussion. He looked down on the ground as he sat down on the bench and began kicking the dirt with his feet.

"It's common sense, John," said Tessa. "If you want to see Zachary you need to call and set up plans. You can't just show up here."

"Sorry," he said taking a seat behind them on the benches. "He's a good baseball player."

"He is," said Tessa as she turned her attention back to the game.

"Just like me. He's an athlete."

"Yeah," said Tessa trying not to get upset. She didn't want to be reminded of how much Zachary was like his father.

"Hope he doesn't turn out like an asshole," said Dave as he watched the game. "I'll make sure he knows how to treat a woman."

"Right," said John as he watched the game.

"Ignore him," said Tessa as she took Dave's hand. "Just pretend he's not here." John smiled and shook his head at Tessa. He rolled his eyes and went back to watching the game. As they watched the game Tessa and Dave did their best to ignore John they didn't want him there but they had no choice. Zachary was his son so he had every right to be there to watch him play baseball.

Zachary's team won the game and they were all excited for him. Zachary celebrated with his team before he joined Tessa and Dave. "Good game, Buddy!" said Dave as he gave Zachary a high five.

"Thanks, Dad," he said with a smile. Hearing Zachary call Dave dad felt like a stab in the heart. "I did what you told me and it worked. Thanks."

"You're welcome, Buddy," said Dave as he rubbed Zachary's head. "I saw it and you did awesome. A future baseball player for the Yankees. Derek Jeter better step aside Zachary Montgomery-Cena is coming."

"I would love to play for the Yankees when I get older," said Zachary.

"And why not the Red Sox?" asked John.

"I live in New York," said Zachary. "This is Yankees territory!"

"That's my boy," said Dave with a smile.

"No," said John. "That's MY boy."

"By blood but I've done more for him than you've ever done," said Dave. "He's MY boy!"

"I assure you. He is MY son," said John. "Look at him. He looks just like me."

"I beg to differ," said Tessa, "he looks like me. He always has."

"Look at that jaw bone and that mouth. He has my mouth," said John.

"No," said Tessa, "he doesn't." Zachary's smile faded as a fight was brewing.

"I assure you that he does," said John.

"We're not going to fight about this," said Tessa. "We have plans to go somewhere so have a good day, John."

"I came to spend the day with my son. I do have visitation."

"You should have called," said Tessa. "I told you we have plans."

"Tessa, I don't give a shit about your plans. I want to spend the afternoon with my son. Is that too much to ask?"

"Didn't she JUST tell you that we have plans?" asked Dave. "Go home, Romeo. Come back next weekend for Zachary. We have plans as a family."

"No," said John. "I'm here to visit with my son and that's what I'm going to do. You don't get a say, Batista."

Zachary looked down at the ground and just shook his head. He hated all the fights. He hated hearing Tessa upset with John and John upset with Dave. He wanted them all to get along. That's all he hoped for. He understood that Tessa didn't love his father and that she loved Dave but he wanted her to at least get along with him. He didn't understand why Dave and John didn't like each other but he felt they should settle their issues and get along. He was just a kid and he felt like he was in the middle of their arguments. "I told you we have plans," said Tessa. "No. You're not getting him today."

"You can't tell me no," said John.

"I can tell you no whenever I want."

"The courts said…." said John.

"I don't give a shit what the courts said. You are entitled to your visitation but not when you don't call and arrange it. We made plans for today so I'm sorry. You can't take him today. You have to wait till next weekend. I think I'm being reasonable," said Tessa. "I don't know why you can't understand."

"Oh sure the oh so ever perfect Tessa is reasonable by NOT allowing her son's father visitation even though she is required to by the courts. You're real reasonable."

"How much more reasonable do you want me to be? I told you we have plans."

"And I want my visitation."

"This is getting old already," said Dave rolling his eyes. "Just take a hike Romeo. Don't you have a psycho child to tend to?"

"My daughter is NOT a psycho."

"That's a matter of opinion," said Dave.

"Batista, you're real grown up a real man picking on an 9 year old. Who does that?"

"I'm only speaking the truth."

"It's a lie. You think it's the truth but my child is no psycho."

"Again a matter of opinion. Just go home."

"Not until I spend the afternoon with my son," said John.

Zachary had heard enough and he was getting upset. It hurt him so much to hear them fighting. He just wanted it to stop. "Can you guys please stop fighting!" he finally yelled out. "I am John's son and I am Dave's son. You two are both my dads neither of you is better than the other. I love you both the same."

"Zachary," said Tessa.

"No, Mom. I hate it when you guys fight."

"Me too," said Scarlet. "I hate it too."

"We're not fighting," said Tessa, "we're discussing some things."

"No you're fighting," said Zachary. "You're always fighting."

"Always fighting," said Scarlet as she held her dad's hand. "It hurts my ears. Mommy, you always told me and Zachary to be nice but you are not nice to John and Daddy you're not nice to John."

"Yeah," said John. "You're not nice to me. Thanks, Scarlet."

"John, you're a meanie too!"

"I guess I deserve to be called a meanie," said John.

"I'm am just tired of you guys always fighting. You guys fight about everything. It hurts. Sometimes I feel like I have to choose who I go with. I feel like you put me in the middle. I don't want to choose. I love you all," said Zachary.

"Zachary, no one is making you choose," said Tessa, "and none of us would ever make you choose."

"Really?" asked Zachary. "I love all of you. I just want you guys to get along."

"It's difficult," said Dave.

"It's not difficult. You guys make it difficult," said Zachary. "Your fighting makes bad things happen."

"I don't make it difficult," said Dave. "I just don't like Romeo."

"Why?" asked Zachary.

"I have my reasons," said Dave.

"Yeah. I want to know why you two hate each other so much," said Tessa.

"Tess, you already know," said Dave.

"No. I really don't. I never knew. John always hated you and you've always hated him. Why? Why do you two have this everlasting grudge against each other?"

"Tess, you know," said John.

"No I don't know. I know I don't like you because you're an ass. You're a control freak."

"I could say you're a bitch," said John. "I could call you a whore too but I won't."

"You can call me whatever you want," said Tessa. "I don't care. If it makes you feel better you can call me a whore, you can call me a bitch.. You can call me whatever. I don't care."

"I'm not going to do that," said John.

"So tell me why the hate between you two. This goes WAY beyond me cheating on John with Dave and the paternity issues with Zachary. It goes way beyond that. Do you two even know?"

"It's something I don't want to get into," said Dave. "Let's just say John knows what he did."

"I know what I did? I know what YOU did," he said. "Always running your mouth."

"I believe it is You that is always running your mouth."

"No," said John. "It's not."

"That's all you ever do. Talk, talk, talk. That's what you do best."

"I'm not understanding why you two hate each other. Everyone runs their mouth," said Tessa.

"We're not discussing it today," said Dave. "Or maybe we should. Maybe you should enlighten Tessa on how you cheated on her back in the day."

"What?" asked Tessa. "You cheated on me?"

"You cheated on me too, Baby Doll," said John.

"But you did it first. I want answers."

"Do we really need to get into this right now?" asked John. "I just want to see my son."

"Here we go again," said Zachary. "Come on, Scarlet, let's let the 'adults' talk," he said taking his little sister's hand and leading her away from all the drama that was building.

"Well," said Tessa. "I want to know, Dave tell me."

"One night a year before you and me got together I was out at the bar with a few friends and I ran into Randy and John. They were both out with women they weren't involved with. John was being really friendly with this blonde girl. They were really cozy, touchy feely. She was all over him and he was all over her. I knew that he was with you so I approached him asking what he was doing. He told me it was just a little fun. I asked him about you and he said you were away visiting your family. I told him he should have more respect for you than going around to sleep with some skank. He told me that he would do what he wanted and I told him I was going to tell you. Then he threatened me with my career. He said he had enough pull backstage he could get me fired. I had a son to take care of I couldn't afford to lose my job but I hated him because he couldn't respect you. It killed me every time I saw him with you acting like nothing happened. I hated him because he had someone as wonderful as you but couldn't give you the respect you deserved. I wanted to tell you but I didn't want to lose my job."

"I lost my job because of you," said Tessa.

"But you didn't want that job," said Dave.

"It doesn't matter. I risked everything to be with you. You couldn't risk anything to tell me my boyfriend was a filthy scumbag?"

"Would you have believed me?"

"No," said Tessa, "Probably not back then."

"That's a lie," said John. "He's lying to you, Tessa."

"It's not a lie," said Dave. "You know it. You know I'm telling the truth. You were intimidated by me. You knew I would tell, Tessa."

"But you didn't," said Tessa.

"I know but…" he said as Scarlet ran over to interrupt them.

"Mommy," she said tugging on Tessa's shirt.

"Not now," said Tessa. "Mommy's talking go play with Zachary."

"But Mommy!" she protested.

"Scarlet Rose go," said Tessa.

"Okay," she said turning away. She started walking away but then stopped, turned back around and walked up to her mom. "Mommy, this is an emergency. Zachary ran away."

"What?" asked all three adults.

"Zachary ran away!"

**A/N: So what did you think? Please review and thank-you for reading. **


	36. Chapter 36

***Thank-you for all the reviews of the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much. **

"What do you mean he ran away?" asked Tessa, "where did he go?" She got down to Scarlet's level to get some information from her.

"I don't know," she said. "He just said he was running away because everyone was fighting and he couldn't take it anymore so he walked away. I called out to him but he kept walking."

"Oh My God," said Tessa as she stood up. "Let's go find him," she said taking Scarlet's hand to look for Zachary. She was scared to death because he was only 8 years old and it was New York. Anything could happen to a kid on their own.

John and Dave followed behind Tessa and Scarlet. As they got to the area where Zachary had walked off but he was no where in sight. They walked through the neighborhood yelling for him but they had no luck. They couldn't find him. Tessa was trying to hold back tears as she couldn't find her son. She was truly worried about him and she felt like she was to blame. They continued to walk through the neighborhood yelling for Zachary but he was no where to be found. They came back to the park and looked around the park for him but still couldn't find him. "Where is he?" asked Dave.

"I don't know," said Tessa, "but I'm scared. That's my baby boy. If something happens to him I don't know what I will do."

"Don't think like that. I'm sure he's safe. It's just a matter of finding him," said Dave.

"It's a matter of finding him? We skimmed the park and neighborhood but we haven't found him. He's 8 years old. He's not that fast to just disappear."

"I am sure we'll find him," said Dave. "Let's go back to the house and call the police."

"All right," said Tessa as Dave wrapped his arm around her to comfort her. He knew she was scared and worried. He wanted to make her feel like everything would be all right but he wasn't so sure himself. He was just as worried as she was but he was holding it together for her. They walked to the car and got in to head back to the house to call the police.

When they got home Tessa called the police in a panic to tell them that her son had run away and it took no time for them to arrive at the house to get information. Scarlet told them everything that had happened from the fighting to Zachary running away. Tessa gave them a description of Zachary telling them he had dark brown hair, deep blue eyes, was about 4'4, had on an orange baseball jersey and grey baseball pants. It was hard for her to get the information out as she could not stop herself from crying. She was terrified for her son. The police officer asked if there was any place he could be like a friend's house and Tessa couldn't think of any she was too shaken up. The police officer said he couldn't put an Amber alert out because Zachary wasn't taken and he just ran away. They told them they would skim the neighborhood but that didn't settle Tessa's nerves. She was a nervous wreck. She paced around the kitchen after the officer left trying to think about where Zachary could be. Scarlet went up to her room to play while the adults stayed down in the kitchen.

"This is all your fault, Batista," said John as he watched Tessa pace the kitchen.

"My fault? You're the one that showed up to the game getting Tessa and me upset. This is your fault."

"I came to spend the afternoon with my son like I am allowed to do. You wouldn't allow that because you had to go out for ice-cream. It's your fault. If you would have just let me spend the afternoon with my son then there wouldn't have been a fight and he would be here right now. This is your fault."

"No, Romeo, I assure you this is YOUR fault. If you wouldn't have came here without permission then we wouldn't be in this position right now. It's your fault, Romeo. It's all your fault."

Tessa listened to them argue over whose fault it was and who caused Zachary to run away. Neither of them were willing to take the blame. She felt they were all at fault but she was getting upset because instead of worrying about the person that truly mattered they were too busy placing the blame on one another rather than focus on the person they all supposedly loved. "I came to see my son," said John. "I had every right to come here. It was you and Tessa making a big deal out of it. It's your fault."

"No, Romeo. You came over here unannounced how did you think we were going to react? This is your fault."

"Would you two shut up!" yelled Tessa. "I am sick and tired of hearing you blame one another. It is all of our faults. It's not just John's fault, it's not just Dave's fault and it's not just my fault. We are all to blame. You two are acting like children. Just shut up!"

"Whoa, Tess," said John. "Why are you so pissed off?"

"Why am I so pissed off? Because our son is missing and all you two idiots can do is blame one another instead of worrying about his safety. It's ridiculous. You two are ridiculous. Your whole feud is ridiculous."

"I am not an idiot, Tess," said John. "The idiot would be the one that let our son run off to play."

"WE all let them run off to play, Jackass," said Tessa. "I'm not going to argue and I'm not going to play the blame game. There is no point in blaming anyone. We are all responsible. Don't you two get it. It was our fighting that made him run away. He is tired of the fighting and quite frankly so am I. I know I am just as guilty at fighting but I'm stepping up. This fighting needs to stop don't you see what it's doing to Zachary? He felt he needed to escape from it and now we don't know where he is. The fighting needs to stop. We are all adults and we all love Zachary. We need to stop fighting and start negotiating," she said.

"Here we go," said John. "Miss Perfect wants the fighting to stop."

"You know, Romeo, you DON'T need to be in MY house," said Dave. "Respect my wife."

"You two start the fights all the time," said John.

"WE all start the fights," said Tessa, "and it needs to stop. WE are all going to be in Zachary's life so we all need to get along. We are going to be there for his graduation, his wedding and every other event in his life. We have got to grow up and stop this nonsense because this is what it causes. We have no idea where our son is because he needed to escape from something he could not control. I don't know about you two but I feel pretty horrible about it."

"I feel horrible too," said Dave as he got up to comfort Tessa by wrapping his arm around her. "I feel like it is my fault too. We should stop the fighting."

"Dude, you just want to have sex with Tessa so you're agreeing with her," said John. "Two minutes ago you were blaming me now you're up Tessa's ass siding with her and blaming yourself. I am not blaming myself because I am not in the wrong here. If you two would have just let me spend the afternoon with my son none of this would happen."

"If you don't want to settle our differences and want to fight," said Tessa, "you can leave. You don't need to be here. I want us to get along for our son. I care enough about him to want to get along with you, John. I have no problem with you. I never did. You are the one that dragged me to court to get custody. We used to be best friends now we're down each other's throats. We have to get along for our son."

"I dragged you to court?" asked John. "You are pressing charges against my daughter."

"She tried to kill my kid," said Tessa. "I love my daughter too. What if my daughter would have died? What would you have done? How would you have felt? Would you still think I was such a horrible person for pressing charges against your child? I could have lost my daughter."

"But you didn't," said John.

"I lost our baby," said Tessa, "because of Zola and I came close to losing my daughter to her but you act like it's okay. You act like it's no big deal. You just let it roll off your back. I find it to be serious."

"Tess," said Dave whispering in her ear. "Let this roll off your back. He's not worth the fight that's starting. I know you're pissed but this isn't about Zola or Scarlet. Just relax."

"Okay," she said.

"I do find it serious," said John. "But I don't think you should press charges against a little girl."

"Okay," said Tessa. "You feel your way and I feel mine. I just want us to stop fighting."

"And Romeo, you say I am agreeing with Tessa because I want to have sex with her.. Maybe I do want to have sex with my wife but she is right. We do need to stop fighting and get along. Stop trying to cause another fight."

"This is rich," said John. "Real rich."

"John, why do you have to do this?" asked Tessa. "I am worried to death about our son and all you can do is start another fight. Please can we just get along for Zachary? That's all I'm asking."

"Just relax, Baby," said Dave as he softly kissed Tessa's head. "It is okay."

"All right," said John. "For Zachary I will get along with you two but you two have got to let me see him when I want."

"You can but you just need to call first to set up a plan. That's the only reason we had a problem today. You showed up here without talking to us first. You can't just show up here without talking to us first."

"Fine," said John. "I should have called. I will call next time."

"Thank-you," said Tessa. "And I'm sorry for being a bitch to you. I just want to get along for Zachary."

"I'm sorry too," said John. "I really am. And we can get along I will do my best."

"That's all I ask," said Tessa. "And I want you two to let go of whatever feud you have going on. It's not worth it. It's old and over with. Just start new and get along."

"Fine," said Dave. "A new start."

"A new start," said John reluctantly.

"Thank-you," said Tessa. "Do you both agree to let go of whatever it is you have against each other? I'm not asking you two to be friends but I do want you to get along. Dave, I need you to accept that John is Zachary's father too and he is always going to be in his life. And John, I need you to accept the fact I'm married to Dave and that he is a father figure to Zachary and he will always be there. Can you two do that?"

"As long as I don't' have to be friends with Romeo," said Dave, "then yes I can agree to that. I will tolerate him for you and for Zachary but he will never be my friend."

"All right," said Tessa. "John?"

"I can accept that Dave is in my son's life and I can tolerate him but like he said we will never be friends. I have no desire to be friends with him."

"Okay," said Tessa. "As long as we all get along… I don't care if you're friends or not. Just as long as you two get along."

"All right," said Dave.

"All right," said John as the phone rang.

"I'll get it," said Tessa as she rushed to the phone. She answered the phone and John and Dave could hear the relief in her voice. "Thank-you. Thank-you so much," she said before hanging up the phone.

"Who was it, Honey?" asked Dave.

"That was Ethan's mom," she said with a smile. "Zachary is at their house. He left with them after the game. So he's safe and he's staying at Ethan's house for tonight."

"Thank God," said Dave feeling instant relief. "That's great news," he said before kissing Tessa's lips softly.

"So glad he's safe," said John. "I should probably head back to West Newbury. You two have a good day."

"You too," said Tessa as she watched John grab his keys and head out the door.

Once he was gone Dave said, "we had a pretty scary afternoon."

"Yeah we did," said Tessa. "I'm just glad he's safe and sound. I feel so much better now."

"Me too," he said wrapping his arms around her. "I am relieved."

"So am I," she said.

"Are you relaxed now?" he asked.

"Yeah. I am. Thanks for manning up today and settling your differences with John. That meant a lot."

"I know," he said. "No problem. You were right just so you know. WE do need to get along for Zachary. I can't risk him running away again."

"Me either," said Tessa. "I love you."

"I love you too, Baby," he said before kissing her lips softly.

***A/N: So what did you think? PLease review and thank-you for reading. **


	37. Chapter 37

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. Thank-you. **

The next day Zachary returned home safe and sound. Tessa and Dave were relieved but he was still punished for his stunt. He was told never to do something like that again as they explained how worried and scared they were when he just disappeared. He got grounded for a week which he took without argument. He knew what he did was wrong but he just had to escape from all of the fighting. He was happy to know that John and Dave had settled their differences and that from now on they were going to try to get along better. That is what he wanted; for them all to get along.

After Dave and Tessa gave Zachary his punishment they went downstairs to the living room to relax. Tessa was giving Dave a weird vibe and he knew something was bothering her. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she said sadly as they sat down on the couch.

"Tess, something is bothering you," he said. "What is it?"

"Nothing, Dave, I don't want to talk about it. I can't talk about it. Not with you."

"You can talk to me about anything," he said wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

"No, Dave I can't but the worst part is I don't have anyone else to talk to. I don't have any friends anymore. I lost all my friends because I'm a whore."

"You are not a whore," said Dave. "Why would you say that?"

"Because it's true," she said with a hint of depression in her voice. She would never talk about herself in such a way but lately she felt like she was a horrible person. She didn't think very highly of herself the last few weeks. She wasn't sure why but she just wasn't feeling her normal self. Something was different about her but she wasn't sure what.

"It is not true," said Dave. "Not in the least."

"It is," said Tessa. "Look at me.. I cheated on John with you.. I didn't know who my son's father was. Then after I married you I cheated on you with John. I'm a whore."

"Tess, you're not a whore and I do not like you saying things like that. Stop talking so badly about yourself."

"I can't help it. It's how I feel. I lost all my friends because I'm a whore."

"No, Tess, you're not a whore and you lost friends because they were selfish and they didn't want you to be happy."

"But I'm not happy," she said honestly.

"What? You're not happy we're back together?"

"I'm just not happy in general, Dave. I don't know what it is. I'm just not happy. I want to cry all the time," she said looking at Dave with intensity burning in her deep blue eyes.

"Why do you want to cry all the time?" he asked. He was starting to get concerned. "What is going on, Tessa?"

"I don't know. I just want to cry all the time. I just feel so sad. I have no idea what is going on with me."

"I don't want you to cry all the time. I don't want you to feel like that."

"I don't want to feel like this either but I do. I can't help it," she said with tears filling her eyes.

He looked into her eyes to see the tears forming. "Please, Tess, don't cry. I don't like when you cry. What is wrong with you?"

"Dave, I don't know but it scares the shit out of me. I hate this feeling and I can't get rid of it," she said as tears started to fall from her eyes. "And I don't want to renew our vows. I don't want to have another wedding."

"Why? I thought that was what you wanted."

"It was but who am I going to invite. I don't have anyone but you, Zachary and Scarlet. I have no brothers and sisters, I have no parents and I have no friends. That would just be a waste."

"So renewing our vows would be a waste to you?" asked Dave feeling hurt by her words.

"No.. I don't know… maybe," she said. "I don't know, Dave. I just don't want to do it. Ripping up the divorce papers says enough. I am with you and I am happy about that. I don't plan on leaving you again. We don't need to renew our vows for me to promise you that. I'm promising you now. I am staying with you. I am not leaving you again. I want to be with you. I gave up everything to be with you…. That's how much I want you. That's how much I need to be with you," she said. "I don't want to do it, Dave," she said before tears started falling harder from her eyes.

"All right, Baby, we won't do it. If you don't want to do it we don't have to. Please don't cry about it," he said.

"I can't help it," she said. "I'm an emotional wreck."

"I see that," he said as he softly kissed the top of her head. "What I don't know is why? I mean you have everything you could possibly have. You have two beautiful kids, a loving husband, you are the writer of one of the most popular kid book series, you have it made. You have everything you need. Why so sad?"

"There is one thing I don't have that I want," she said through her sobs.

"Hmm? What is that?" asked Dave pulling her closer to him.

"I want a baby," said Tessa. "I was so excited when I got pregnant because let's face it at my age getting pregnant is a hard task. I was ecstatic. I really wanted that baby. I still do want that baby but I can't have it. I will never have it. I lost it because of Zola."

"So this is about the baby?" asked Dave.

"Yes," said Tessa. "I want a baby. Why do I keep losing babies, Dave? Am I being punished?"

"You're not being punished," he said.

"Then explain to me why I keep miscarrying babies, Dave. I lost ours and I just lost this baby. Why do I keep losing them? Am I not supposed to be a mother? Am I that bad of a mother?"

"You are not a bad mother, Tess, things like this happen."

"Twice?" she asked. "And then I think about how I carried John's and Ryan's child with no problem but I can't even carry my own. What did I do that was so bad to deserve this? I just want another baby, Dave," she said before she started crying uncontrollably.

"Tess," he said wrapping both arms around her. He was doing his best to comfort her because he didn't know what else to do. Tessa was always a woman to hold back her emotions. He had never saw her in such disarray let alone in such an emotional state. It was killing him because he didn't know what to do.. He didn't know what to say. He felt there were no words that could comfort her but he was starting to realize that Tessa could be suffering from depression. She has gone through a lot in the last year losing her parents, losing a baby, almost getting divorced and so much more. She had a tough year and Dave believed she had reached her boiling point. "If a baby is what you want we can try for a baby. I have no problem with trying for a baby."

"I thought you were too old," she said as she continued to cry.

"I am too old but if it's something you really want then I'm willing to do it. If you want to have another baby we can try."

"Really?" she asked.

"Really," he said.

"You don't have to if you don't want to," she said. "If you really don't want to do this you don't have to."

"I want to do it because YOU want to do it. I want to make YOU happy. We can try but Tessa I think you should get some type of help."

"Fertility help?" she asked.

"Not fertility help. I am sure you and me can make a baby it seems to happen for us fairly quick.. I'm talking professional help. I am worried about you."

"Why do I need professional help?" she asked feeling offended.

"I'm not trying to offend you. I am worried about you," said Dave. "You are really upset and you don't even know why. I think you're depressed after everything you've been through in the last year. I think it started last year when you cheated on me but I didn't realize it till now."

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Last year after your parents died tragically you went up to West Newbury and ended up sleeping with John. I think that was your way of dealing with the pain. I think you were confused, lost, hurt.. You turned to someone that was your comfort zone while your parents were alive. You went to someone from the past that represented a happier time in your life. I think you were depressed then and the only way you could feel better was to sleep with John."

"But it didn't make me feel better. It made me feel worse. Then you left me which made me feel even worse. I don't' know why I slept with John. I will never understand why I slept with him all I know is it just happened. I wish it didn't but it did. Then getting involved with him I have no idea what I was thinking John is the darkest part of my past. I don't know why I went into the darkness. I don't know, Dave. I don't know why I do what I do."

"Tessa, I think you really should talk to a professional. I think they might be able to help you understand yourself as well as why you do what you do. I think they can help you feel better. And I think losing the baby was what pushed you over the edge. I'm worried about you, Tess. I think you need to go talk to someone maybe get some medication to feel better."

"I don't need medication and I don't need professional help."

"Tess, you do. I think it will help you feel better. I can't do that. I really am worried about you."

"Would you feel better if I talked to someone?"

"Yes I would," he said. "I love you, Tess and I don't want to see you hurting and I don't want to see you cry. I want to see you happy and smiling. Please talk to someone."

"All right," she said. "I will but if you find out I'm one fucked up chick are you still going to be here?"

"I will always be here, Tessa. You know that. You're not fucked up either.. You're just sad because you don't understand things. It's okay," he said. "They will help you."

"All right," she said. "But you'll help me make a baby?"

"It takes two," said Dave with a smile.

"Sometimes it takes one and a tube," she said with a smirk.

"A tube? What kind of stuff is that? I believe in doing it the old fashioned way…."

"Me too," she said with a smile.

"So let's go try it… the old fashioned way… by good old love making."

"Let's go!" she said as she jumped up from the couch before Dave got up after her. She took his hand and led him up to their bedroom where they made love to one another passionately.

***a/n: So what did you think? Please review and thank-you for reading. **


	38. Chapter 38

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much. **

***Since I have been neglecting this story a bit while I was in school for the semester I decided to treat you guys to a longer chapter. This chapter was pretty emotional and hard to write. I hope that you enjoy.. **

A few days later Tessa was sitting in a waiting room on a comfortable white chair waiting to be seen by one of the best shrinks in New York City. She was nervous but ready to talk to someone. She knew she needed to talk to someone and she hoped it would be an easy task for her but she wasn't sure. She wasn't sure how open she could truly be when talking to a complete stranger. "Tessa Montgomery-Batista," called a woman with brown hair to the middle of her back dressed in a grey dress suit with black high heels holding a cup of coffee. As Tessa got up the other people in the waiting room looked at her. Not many people knew Tessa by sight but they knew the name especially if they had young children not to mention the fact that Tessa's children's books were a reading essential in the waiting room. Tessa nervously walked over to the woman. "Hello, Tessa, I am Arizona Neal. Follow me to my office please."

Tessa gave her a soft smile and followed behind her to her office. Tessa couldn't understand how Arizona was the best shrink in town when she only looked about 25 years old or younger. There was no way she could have been doing it this long. She led Tessa into a room with light yellow walls, there was a desk with papers on it in the corner, a leather couch with a leather chair across from it. Between the chair and the couch there was a coffee table with a basket of flowers that smelled beautiful. The sun was shining into the room and it gave off a very peaceful feel. "Where should I sit?" asked Tessa as she looked around the room.

"You can have a seat over on that leather couch," said Arizona pointing to the couch. Tessa walked over and took a seat in the comfortable chair as Arizona sat across from her pulling out a notepad and a pen. "So, Tessa, what brings you in today?"

"I've just been feeling really sad lately," she said relaxing in the serenity of the room.

"Why have you been feeling sad, Tessa?" she asked looking at her with her crystal blue eyes.

"I'm not really sure," said Tessa. "I have been feeling sad for a while now."

"Okay," said Arizona. "Do you remember when you started feeling sad?"

"Over a year ago," she said honestly.

"Did anything significant happen over a year ago?" she asked.

"Quite a few things," said Tessa.

"Like?" she asked.

"Well, for one my parents died in a car accident. They were killed by a drunk driver. It tore me apart. I loved my parents. I still do. I miss them everyday. It's been really hard for me."

"I can understand why it makes you sad," said Arizona. "Grief is a pain like no other. It can hang around for a really long time or it can go away and creep back up on you when you least expect it. Grief is a tough thing to overcome. Anything else you remember happening a year ago specifically?"

"Yes," said Tessa feeling shameful. "I cheated on my husband with my ex-boyfriend. I'm a cheater. I cheated on my ex-boyfriend with my husband also. That's how my husband and me got together."

"I see," she said writing down a note. "Why do you think you cheated on your ex-boyfriend with your husband?"

"I don't know. I felt smothered. He liked to control me and control what I did. It always had to be his way. He forced me into having a baby. I never wanted kids. I wanted a career. I wanted my life. He was controlling me in so many ways I hated it. He was overbearing and I hated it. Each time he forced me to do something he pushed me away and eventually pushed me into my husband's arms. I was working with him for his job and then things just started off between us.. We were sleeping together and I thought he was the father of my son. We got married and we were happy. We've always been happy. We never fought and we never had problems. He always supported me and I always supported him. We never had problems and a little over a year after my son was born I had our daughter. We were as happy as could be. The only problem we ever had was when my ex came back into my life asking me to be a surrogate for him and his wife because they couldn't make a baby but then ended up making a baby the same time I was impregnated with their child. My husband was really upset about that and that was the first time we fought ever in our marriage."

"All right," she said taking notes, "so you cheated on your ex-boyfriend with your husband. You didn't know who the baby's father was and you never wanted children?"

"Right," she said.

"How do you feel about your children now?" asked Arizona.

"I love my children more than anything. They are the reason I get up in the morning anymore."

"You say the reason you get up in the morning anymore, is there a reason you feel that way?"

"I just feel like life hates me. I hate my life," she said. "I have no friends. I only have my husband and my kids."

"Why don't you have friends, Tessa?"

"Because I lost them all because I was a cheater. I don't know. I just don't like to go out anymore to make any."

"Are you scared to go out to make friends?"

"I'm not scared. I just don't want to. I haven't really been a social person my whole life."

"What about in childhood? Did you have friends?"

"Just one… my ex-boyfriend. He was my only friend my entire life."

"Why is that, Tessa? Why didn't you have many friends as a child?"

"Because no one wanted to be my friend. I was a dork, a teacher's pet. I was an oddball to say the least."

"I see," she said taking notes. "Did that ever bother you?"

"At first but I got used to it. I didn't need friends. I still don't need friends. I don't know who I can trust and who I can't."

"So it's about trust?" she asked.

"I guess it is," said Tessa, "I mean I had some good friends but when I got with my husband I lost them all. They wanted nothing to do with me."

"Why is that?"

"I have no idea. I don't like to think about it. I guess they didn't like him. I don't know. I just know it came down to trust. I thought they were my friends and then when I screwed up they were gone. I don't want to go down that road again."

"I see," she said making another note. "I think you should go out there and make a couple friends. Get involved with parents from your children's school and set up playdates. That's one way to get to meet parents. You will have something in common."

"I don't know," said Tessa. "I don't like to get too involved with other parents. I just feel like they are my friends because of what I do not because of who I am."

"Tessa, you can't think like that. Not every one has an intention to hurt you. Sometimes they really do like you for you not because of what you do. I think you should open up and give them a chance. I think you are suffering from social anxiety."

"And I may be," said Tessa. "I don't know. That's why I'm here."

"And because you're sad."

"And because I'm sad," said Tessa.

"Now back to cheating on your husband… if you two were happy and had no problems why did you cheat on him?"

"I think because I was overwhelmed by sadness. I was vulnerable. I don't know. It was after my parents' funeral my ex-boyfriend and me were at my parents' house and then one thing led to another. I was just so sad.. I wanted some comfort.. I wanted something but I don't know what it was."

"Did it make you feel better?"

"A little. I felt happier. I felt serene. I felt at peace. I wasn't sad anymore. It felt like home."

"Are you saying you miss your ex-boyfriend?"

"No," said Tessa, "I don't know."

"I think that it was you trying to find your comfort zone. You said your ex-boyfriend was your best friend for years and you said your parents were taken away tragically. You had lost everything you knew. You were sad and hurt. You were lost and you just wanted to find your way. I think you cheating on your husband was a way for you to find your comfort zone. You said it felt like home. You wanted something that reminded you of how happy you were when your parents were alive. You were looking for that comfort you were lacking from your parents. I don't think you meant to do it intentionally.. I think it was a subconscious thing. I think you did it to kill your grief."

"Maybe," said Tessa, "and then my husband left me. I hated it. I did. I was miserable. It was the biggest mistake of my life. I was pregnant also with my ex's and his wife's baby. I gave birth to her and it hurt me a lot. It made me sad because I wanted a baby of my own. I was pregnant once after my daughter was born but I miscarried the baby. My husband and me tried and tried but it never happened again. So carrying this baby made me hurt. Every movement, every kick and giving birth hurt me more. I can't understand how I could carry their baby to term healthy as ever but couldn't carry my own."

"Things happen, Tessa. You were feeling a loss and dealing with a painful memory. That happens a lot to people. It is understandable to feel hurt. That almost sounds like postpartum depression and I think that went unnoticed."

"I guess. I don't know. I just felt really bad so after the baby was born my ex's wife died and then we got together. His wife's daughter was the devil. She is evil to the core. She hated me. She hated my daughter. She would abuse my daughter and hurt her in ways I never thought possible. I brought it up to my ex because I wanted him to do something but he kept shrugging it off saying she had problems. I don't know. It just hurt me because it made me feel like he didn't care that my child was being hurt. Then he started to be a jerk to me and started the controlling thing again. I wanted out. I couldn't stand it. Then I got pregnant. I was happy. He didn't want me to be pregnant but I'm almost 40... Getting pregnant isn't an easy task. I wasn't getting rid of it. I wanted it."

"You say you wanted it what happened?"

"I miscarried," she said sadly. It pained her every time she said it. "It happened after his daughter poisoned mine and then his daughter pushed me down the stairs. I was so confused over the last year. I wasn't happy where I was but I had my husband trying to get me back. I didn't know where to go. I didn't know what to do. I was torn but getting pregnant made me stay with my ex. If I would have left… my daughter wouldn't have been hurt and I wouldn't have lost my baby and I would be pregnant right now."

"Do you blame yourself for your daughter being poisoned and for losing the baby?"

"Everyday," said Tessa with tears filling her eyes. Her heart wrenched deep inside and she felt an ache that was familiar to her. The ache of guiltiness. She blamed herself everyday for what happened to Scarlet and for what happened with the baby.

"Why do you feel it was your fault?"

"Because if I would have left when I had the chance my daughter would have never been in the house with Zola and she never would have been poisoned and I never would have been pushed down the stairs. I would have saved my daughter pain and I would have saved my baby."

"Tessa, that's not your fault."

"Yes it is," she said. "It is my fault. I wasn't there. I didn't protect her. I should have protected her," said Tessa as she burst into tears. "I will never forgive myself for not protecting my daughter. I should have been there. I should have helped her… I am the worst mother in the world."

"Tessa," she said handing Tessa a tissue.

"What," said Tessa as she took the tissue. "I am a bad mother and God punished me because I didn't protect her. That's why I lost my baby because I am a bad mother and then my son ran away to get away from family tension… sometimes I think…." she said with a pause as she cried harder.

"Sometimes you think what?" asked Arizona concerned. She didn't know what Tessa was about to say.

"Sometimes I think that my children would be better without me.. Sometimes I want to run away forget about everything. Forget about how much pain I caused them. Even my husband sometimes I just want to run away," she said. "Sometimes…."

"Tessa," said Arizona as she made notes.

"Sometimes I just want to die. Why didn't I die instead of Ryan? It should have been me. I was the bad person. It was me. I slept with her husband, I cheated on my husband… it should have been me. I should have died. Why couldn't I have died instead of her. My kids would have been happier. My daughter wouldn't have been hurt and my son wouldn't have needed to run away. I wish I could die so much," she said before sobbing uncontrollably. "I want to die."

"Tessa," said Arizona. "You shouldn't say things like that. You are not a bad person. You're just confused. Being confused doesn't make you a bad person. You're not a bad mother. I assure you that your children love you endlessly. You act on impulse rather than thought. You are not a bad person. It was wrong that you slept with Ryan's husband and wrong that you cheated on your husband but you were in a bad place. You wanted peace.. You wanted comfort.. You found that in sleeping with your ex. I also don't think your children would be happy if they lost their mother. They would have felt horrible. You can't blame yourself for the things you can't control, Tessa. You had no idea that Scarlet was going to be poisoned and you had no idea that you would lose the baby. Things happen that we can't control. You can't stop them, Tessa. They happened. Nothing is ever perfect," she said. "But wishing death and wanting to run away worries me. Why would you want to run away from those that love you the most?"

"Because all I do is hurt them," said Tessa, "don't you see how much pain I caused them. Can't you see it?"

"Tessa, you didn't cause anyone pain. The only person you are causing pain is yourself. Your family loves you. They need you. Your kids need you. They love you endlessly. They need you, Tessa. I think you are overwhelmed mixed with depression and have a social anxiety. I want to prescribe you some medication. You seem to be hurting so deeply and that is a hurt that can not be cured without some help."

"Okay," said Tessa, "so like anti-depressants?"

"Yes. Anti-depressants. They should help you boost your mood. I would also like to keep seeing you on a weekly basis because you have so many underlying issues that we need to deal with from your lonely childhood, to your impulsive actions, to your confusion and your depression. I don't' want you to run away and I don't want you to do anything to harm yourself, Tessa. Do you love your children?"

"With every part of my soul and every part of my body."

"Do you think they would really prosper if they didn't have a mother?"

"No," said Tessa. "I don't know but I definitely think they would be better without me. I think Dave would be better without me. I want to get away. I want to run. It is all too much."

"Tessa, what is too much?" asked Arizona.

"My life. It's too much. I want to run."

"Tessa, you can't run," said Arizona.

"I need to. I need to get away," she said honestly. "And then maybe everything will be better for everyone…"

"Tessa," said Arizona before looking at her watch. "Oh dear time is up but I don't want you doing anything drastic. I am writing out a prescription for the anti-depressants and I want to see you twice a week. You really need some therapy to help you feel better."

"Okay," said Tessa as Arizona handed her the prescription. "Thank-you."

"You're welcome. I will see you in two days, Tessa. How about 4:30 in the afternoon. Does that work for you?"

"Yes," she said getting up. "Arizona, it's been a pleasure. I will see you on Friday at 4:30."

"I look forward to it, Tessa. Have a good day."

"Thank-you," said Tessa as she walked out the door. She didn't feel any better than before she went to the meeting. She felt like she opened up but she didn't feel better. She walked to the car and got in. She sat in the driver's seat looking at the prescription and scoffed. She didn't want anti-depressants. She felt like nothing could help her. She knew what she had to do and her mind was made up. She put the car in drive and headed home with her mind set on her task.

She walked into the house to be greeted by Scarlet and Zachary. She received a hug from each of them and it pained her to see the smiles on their faces. She was soon greeted by Dave as he kissed her lips. "Tessa, how was your appointment."

"Fine," she said. "I'm going upstairs to nap."

"All right," he said. "I'll call you when dinner is ready."

"Thanks," she said as she headed up the stairs. Dave noticed it. Something wasn't right with her. Something was wrong but he didn't know what. He didn't like the vibe she had given off. He was worried about her.

That night after dinner and both the kids were in bed Dave and Tessa went upstairs where they enjoyed a nice night of passionate love making with one another. Dave was serious about conceiving a child with Tessa that he wanted to try despite the fact he knew something was off with his wife. Tessa did not shy away as it was the most passionate night they had in years. Once they finished making love Dave took Tessa in his arms and held her close to him as he drifted off to sleep. Tessa on the other hand did not go to sleep. She waited until Dave was knocked out completely before slipping out of his arms. She quietly got out of bed and dressed herself in a pair of black pants, white t-shirt and a black hoodie. She slipped on a pair of her running shoes before grabbing a suitcase out of the closet where she filled it up with outfits, undergarments, hair accessories, pajamas, shoes, money and healthcare products. She closed up the suitcase and looked at Dave who was sleeping soundly. A smile slid across her lips as she walked over to him. She gave him a soft kiss on his lips and said, "goodbye, Dave. I love you forever and always." She turned and grabbed her suitcase and walked out of the room. She walked into Scarlet's room first where she was sound asleep. Tessa grew tears in her eyes as she walked over to her sleeping baby girl. She looked so happy and so peaceful as she was in dream land. Tessa ran her hand through Scarlet's hair and admired her before she softly gave her a kiss and covered her up with a blanket. "I love you, Scarlet. I will always love you." She kissed her once more and then left the room to see Zachary. Zachary was sleeping just as soundly as Scarlet was. She walked in and smiled at him. She remembered all the times she shared with Zachary. He was her little boy and she loved him deeply. She walked over to the bed and ran her hands through his soft hair. She closed her eyes as she thought about his deep blue eyes and how they always looked at her. It was one of his most distinctive features. She opened her eyes and blinked away a couple of tears. She leaned down and kissed his cheek softly. "I love you Zachary. I will always love you. You're my little man. Goodbye." She kissed him once more before walking out of the room. She grabbed her suitcase from the top of the stairs and made her way downstairs. She walked into the kitchen and grabbed a piece of paper and a pen. She spent some time writing a note to Dave and the kids letting them know she was leaving and telling them how much she loved them. She signed with her famous signature and folded it up and put it on the fridge where Dave would be sure to see it when he woke up. She pulled out her blackberry and her car keys laying them down on the kitchen table. She laid all her credit cards and debit cards as well as her check book out on the table. She had cleared her bank account earlier and moved some things over to a new account where she kept her money from her books so when she needed it it was there. She took a deep breath before walking out of the kitchen. She opened the front door and grabbed her suitcase. A black car was waiting for her out front. She took one last look around and said, "Goodbye," with tears in her eyes. She quietly closed the door and walked down the front step to the black car. She got in the car as the driver drove off. She had tears rolling down her eyes as they pulled away from her home. It was better this way. It was better for everyone.

"Are you okay, Ms. Bennett?" asked the driver of the car.

"I will be," she said as they drove on in silence.

Shortly after they arrived at the airport. Tessa got out of the car and grabbed her suitcase. She went through security and then got her plane ticket. "Ms. Bennett," said the woman at the counter as she handed her the ticket. "Enjoy your trip."

"I will," said Tessa as she walked away to drop her luggage off and then headed to wait to board her plane. Tessa was nervous but as soon as her flight was called she got up and made her way to board the plane she was okay. She boarded the plane in her first class seat and didn't relax until the plane was in the air. As the plane glided through the air she was completely at peace as all her problems, worries and fears were behind her. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep not waking until her plane had reached her destination. She breathed a sigh of relief as she stepped off the plane and grabbed her luggage from the baggage claim. She made her way out to another driver in a black car.

"Bonjour, Mademoiselle," said the French driver.

"Bonjour," said Tessa as she handed him her bags. He opened the door for her and allowed her to climb into the car before he put her luggage in the trunk. They soon drove off before arriving at a beautiful home. "I love my dad for keeping this place for years. I wanted this all my life," she smiled as she got out of the car and looked at the home where her family had spent numerous summer vacations. She was going to love it here. She walked up to the front door and stuck the key in the door. She opened the door and nothing had been changed since she was a little girl.

She smiled as the housekeeper came to her assist her. "Bonjour, Mademoiselle," said the young woman dressed in a maid's outfit and her blond hair tied up into a bun.

"Call me, Kate," she said with a smile.

"Kate," said the maid with a smile. Tessa smiled as she walked into the home and admired it's beauty. It was different, it was quiet, it was what she needed, it was what she wanted. She followed the maid upstairs to the master bedroom where her parents often stayed.

"Thank-you," said Tessa with a smile.

"Would you like a drink?"

"Wine please," said Tessa as she walked over to her parents' bed. The maid left Tessa alone while she went to grab her some wine. Tessa stretched out on the bed and after all those years she could still smell her parents on the bed. She looked over on the nightstand to see a picture of her mom, Dad and herself when she was about 8 years old her first summer they had ever spent in Paris. She let a tear roll down her cheek as she remembered the time. She took a deep breath as the maid came into the room with her glass of wine. "Thank-you," she said with a smile. "What is your name?"

"Angelique," she said.

"Thank-you. Angelique. I would like to be alone."

"As you wish," said Angelique before leaving the room.

Tessa sipped her wine as she sat in her new room. She was going to love it here. Scarlet would have loved it there. Zachary would have loved it there as well as Dave but she knew it was better if they were in New York and she was in Paris. She laid back on the bed laying her wine down on the night stand and allowed exhaustion to take over. She soon drifted off to sleep.

***a/n: So what did you think? Please review and thank-you for reading. **


	39. Chapter 39

**Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much. **

***Yes! another update.. I could not wait any longer to update on DAve's and the kids' reactions.. **

The next morning Dave woke up to see Tessa was not in the bed. He assumed she was downstairs drinking a cup of coffee or writing so he went downstairs to join her while the kids were asleep. He walked downstairs but didn't find her in the kitchen, the living room so he went to her office to find it vacant. She was no where in sight. He didn't know what to do or say. He made his way back to the kitchen and as he walked to the fridge he looked at her cell phone, car keys and all her credit cards, debit cards and checkbooks. He was really confused but as he turned around to face the fridge he saw the note hanging on the fridge that said Dave. He pulled it off and opened it slowly not knowing what to expect. He was truly worried about Tessa. He knew something was off with her the night before.

_Dave, Scarlet and Zachary, _

_I don't want you guys to worry about me but I have left in case you haven't figured it out yet. You guys may not understand why I chose to do this but I know it's what's best for all of us. I was a horrible wife as I have cheated on my husband. I am the worst wife in the world. Dave, you deserve better than me and you always have deserved better. Look how we came to be… through infidelity. I'm not perfect… you deserve to be with someone that is perfect, someone that can be faithful and someone that can love you better than me. I love you, Dave but not like you deserve to be loved. I will never stop loving you but I have to do this. I know you will never understand why I chose to do this but you don't need to. You just need to move on and settle down with someone that can love you in a way I never did. You deserve better than me, Dave. I'm sorry I had to do this but it's the best thing for us. Never think you didn't make me happy because you did. You gave me the world. You gave me Scarlet. You were always there for me. You did everything you could to make me happy.. You never failed in making me happy. It was me that failed in making you happy. It was me that failed in this marriage. I was the failure. You don't deserve to be with a failure. I'm sorry, Baby. I have to do this. It is what is best for us. Don't worry about me I will be fine. Please don't worry about me. That is all I ask. I can assure you I am safe and sound. I will be okay. Zachary, I will always love you. You were always my little man. You will always be my little man. I know you are going to do everything to make me proud. I hope that you grow up to be a baseball player or a football player. I know those are your dreams and I hope that you always follow your dreams. I know you will not understand why I'm doing this and You're going to be mad at me. Please don't be mad at me. I did it for the better. Just know that I love you and while I may not be with you I will always be thinking about you. You will always be in my heart and I hope that I will be in yours. I'm sorry that I have to do this but like I said it's for the better. I love you, Zachary Ryder! Always! Scarlet, my little princess, my inspiration, I am so sorry for all the pain I caused you. I am sorry that I allowed you to get hurt. I was a horrible mother and I am sorry. I'm sorry that I failed to protect you. I should have been there to protect you but I wasn't. I'm sorry. Please forgive me. I know you're really too young to understand this but I hope as you get older you understand that I left so that you could have someone better than me to protect you. I failed at being a mother and I'm sorry. You deserve better but I will always love you. Just like your brother I will always be thinking about you and will always have you in my heart but I just have to do this for the better. I am so sorry, Scarlet. I hope that you will find it in your heart to forgive me for all the pain I caused… I am truly sorry. I love you, Scarlet Rose! I hope that you grow up to be the best young lady you can to make your father and me proud. I know you will. You're smart and beautiful and I know you're going to grow up to do great things. I will always be proud of you and Zachary. I love you all with my entire heart. I know you're going to be hurt and I know you're going to be upset but one day you will understand me. I know you will. Right now it's going to be hard for all of us but as the days go on, the seasons pass, the months change and the years come and go it will get better. I want you all to move on.. You all deserve better than I ever gave you. I'm sorry and I love you all and I always will. _

_Love, Tessa/Mommy. _

Dave put the note down. He wasn't sure if he should be furious or if he should be sad. He couldn't believe Tessa had left. He had no idea where she was and tears filled in his eyes. He folded the note up. He didn't know what he was going to tell his kids. He wanted to find Tessa but he didn't know how to find her. He was upset and the first thing he did was call John. It was a long shot but for some reason he hoped she would be with him as much as he couldn't stand him. Dave waited three rings before John answered the phone. "Hello?" he asked as if he was just waking up.

"John," said Dave. "It's Dave."

"What's up?"

"Where's my wife?" he asked.

"What are you talking about?" asked John as he sat up in his bed.

"Where is my wife? Is she with you?"

"No.. why would she be with me?" asked John as he looked over at Kelli who was still sleeping beside him.

"John, if you're lying for her I will find out. Where is she?"

"Whoa, calm down. What are you talking about? I haven't talked to Tessa since I was down there to see Zachary."

"So she's not with you?" asked Dave as he felt his heart break. She was gone.

"No," said John as Kelli woke up.

"Who is that?" she asked.

"No one," said John. "Give me a minute."

"Okay," she said closing her eyes.

"Who was that? If Tessa isn't with you who was that?" asked Dave.

"My girlfriend Kelli," he said. "Dave, I don't like what you're implying. I have no idea where Tessa is and I have no idea what you're talking about so how about you start there.. And tell me why you're calling me this early about Tessa."

"She left," said Dave as he felt his entire world collapse around him.

"What do you mean she left?"

"She left. She disappeared," said Dave, "She left her bank cards, check book, car keys and cell phone here along with a note telling me she left."

"Wow," said John. "Are you sure she isn't coming back?"

"She told Zachary and Scarlet that she wanted them to grow up and make her proud. I don't think she's coming back. Where is she?"

"I told you, Dave, I don't know. Tessa doesn't talk to me anymore. I have no idea where she is. I'm sorry."

"You're not lying for her?"

"Dave, I'm not lying for her. I don't know where she is. I told you the last time I talked to her was when I came to see Zachary. Maybe you should call the police or check her cards or something."

"I'm going to try that," said Dave. "I'm just worried about her. She's been out of sorts lately. Sad and upset over losing the baby. She went to see a shrink yesterday and then when she came home she was giving off a bad vibe. I don't know. She just wasn't herself. I'm worried, John," said Dave as he started to choke on his words, "what if… what if she kills herself? I can't live without her and the kids can't grow up without their mom.." He was beside himself with fear and sadness. His chest tightened and his eyes filled with tears before he finally let them go.

"Dave, I'm sure she's just clearing her head. I'm sure she will be back. Sometimes Tessa needs to just get away. She has dealt with a lot lately. I think she finally reached her breaking point. Don't get me wrong. I'm worried about her too but I'm sure she's okay. I'm sure she will be back. I'm sorry to cut this short but I have to go. Call me later if you find out anything."

"Will do," he said. "Bye," said Dave as he hung up the phone. As soon as he was off the phone he broke down more. He completely lost it. He didn't know where to go but once he composed himself he got on the phone and called the bank to check Tessa's records. He found out that she had cleared out her account and moved all her money to a new account but they could not give him anymore information than that. He learned she cut off her cell phone as well. She had completely disappeared and there was no way he could ever find her. She made it so that she couldn't be found. He called the police while Zachary and Scarlet slept not knowing what they were going to wake up to… waking up without their mother probably for the first time for years to come. He talked to the police but they could not do anything. Tessa left on her free will and obviously made it clear she didn't want to be found. There was nothing they could do. Dave was completely hurt knowing he could never see his wife again.

After the police left Dave sat down at the kitchen table trying to process everything. He was trying to figure everything out as he cried once more. It was like he couldn't stop crying. He wanted to know why Tessa felt so bad about herself. He wanted to know why she felt she needed to run away. Tessa was never a failure, she never failed in their marriage, she was perfect to him and she was a wonderful mother. He knew she had never failed her children and loved them with everything inside her body. He knew she was the best mother his kids could have. He just didn't know what happened to his wife. He was truly worried about her especially since she left in such a bad mind state. He had no idea what she was capable of. He just wanted her to get the help she needed. He needed to find her and he was going to do what it took to find her.

Dave was soon interrupted by Scarlet and Zachary as they came into the kitchen for breakfast. "Hi, Daddy," said Scarlet with a smile and her dark hair falling to her shoulders.

"Hi, Princess," he said trying his best to smile. "Good morning."

"Good morning, Dad," said Zachary as they sat at the table.

"Is something wrong, Daddy?" asked Scarlet looking at her dad. She knew he had been crying. She never saw her dad cry and she didn't understand what was going on that morning.

"No, Princess," he said. "Nothing's wrong." He didn't want to have the conversation about Tessa with the kids that morning not until he knew what to tell them. He hoped they wouldn't ask until he came up with an idea.

"Why were you crying?" she asked.

"I wasn't," said Dave lying to his little girl. He could see the concern on her face. She was worried about him. She knew something was going on.

"Dad," said Zachary. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes," said Dave. "What would you two like for breakfast?"

"Pancakes!" said Scarlet with excitement and a big smile stretched on her face.

"Okay," he said as he looked at Zachary who looked at him with his deep blue eyes. The deep blue eyes he had inherited from his mother. It broke what was left of his heart. His eyes filled up with tears and before he could stop himself he let a tear roll down his cheek.

"Daddy," said Scarlet concerned. "You are crying! What happened?" she asked furrowing her brow. "Where's mommy? Is she sleeping?"

Dave knew he couldn't lie. There was no way he could lie to his daughter. "No, Scarlet," he said in a whisper. "I have an idea. How about we go out for breakfast and talk?"

"Okay," said Scarlet.

"All right," said Zachary.

"Let's go get dressed and get some breakfast," said Dave as he hurried them upstairs. He was not looking forward to their breakfast conversation.

When they arrived at the restaurant they were seated in a booth. No one really said anything until after they ordered their pancakes with orange juice. He was hoping they could get through their meals before they asked about Tessa but as soon as the waitress walked away Scarlet asked the question he was dreading. "Daddy, where is Mommy? Why isn't she with us?"

"I think we should talk," said Dave with his heart pounding. This was going to be the hardest conversation he was going to have in his life.

"Okay," said Scarlet as she looked at her dad pushing a strand of hair out of her face like Tessa usually did.

"It's about your mom. She left," said Dave. There was no other way to say it. It was straight to the point.

"Where did she go?" asked Scarlet.

"I don't know," said Dave. "She went away."

"Is she coming back?" asked Zachary.

"I don't think so, Buddy at least not for a while."

"Why? Why did she leave?" asked Zachary with his deep blue eyes filled with sadness. "Is it because I ran away? I will never run away again."

"Zachary, it's not your fault. I want you two to understand that your mom is sick. She is very sick."

"What's wrong with her?" asked Scarlet. "Is it cancer?"

"No," said Dave. "Mentally sick. She feels really bad about herself. She feels like she was a bad mommy and a bad wife. She feels like she failed all of us. She feels that it is better if she left because she doesn't want to believe that she is a good mommy and a good wife."

"She is a good, Mommy," said Scarlet. "My favorite Mommy ever! Can I call her?"

"I'm sorry, Scarlet but I don't know where she is or how to get in touch with her. I'm sorry."

"But…" she said with tears in her eyes. "I want my Mommy!" She burst into tears and began crying.

Dave pulled her onto his lap and said, "I know you do. I want her back too." He ran his hand up and down her back to comfort her. "But she loves you both. She will always love you."

"So she's not coming back?" asked Zachary.

"I don't know," said Dave. "I hope so, Buddy. I just wish she was feeling better."

"Is she going to get better, Daddy?" asked Scarlet.

"I hope. I need her back. You need her back. Just don't be mad at her, please…"

"I am mad," said Zachary. "I don't know why she left. She wasn't a bad mom. Now she is."

"Zachary, she's sick. Please don't be mad at her. She's not thinking correctly. She didn't mean this. She doesn't mean this," said Dave.

"But she left us. I am mad."

"I understand you're mad but one day I hope you forgive her for leaving."

"I don't know," said Zachary. "I don't know why she left."

"I don't either but I'm hoping one day we will understand."

"I just want my mommy," said Scarlet. "Can't you make her come home?"

"I can't," said Dave. "I'm sorry. I am so sorry you guys. I am here for you both. I will always be here. We will get through this together."

"But that doesn't bring her back!" said Zachary.

"When will I see my mommy again?" asked Scarlet.

"I don't know," said Dave. "But you guys just remember she loves you."

"I love her, Daddy. I want her to get better and come home."

"Me too, Princess, me too," said Dave. He had nothing left to break. His heart was already shattered. The only thing he had left were Zachary and Scarlet.

"I love her too but I'm mad," said Zachary.

"I know, Buddy. I understand. Just remember she loves you very much and she's very sorry that she left but she feels it's for the best."

"I'm never going to see her again am I daddy?"

"You will," said Dave, "because I am going to do whatever it takes to find her and get her the help she needs."

"Really, Daddy?"

"I'm going to try," said Dave. "But right now we've only got each other. We will get through this," he said. He didn't know what else to say. He knew they were both hurt and he had no idea what was going to happen but he was going to do whatever it took to find Tessa. She needed help and he wanted her to get that help. He wanted his wife back. He wanted Tessa back for the kids. He understood that she felt like a failure for things that have happened but she never stopped to think how they would feel when she left. Their hearts were broken, torn to pieces and stomped a million times.. They were hurting. All of them were hurting hoping for her to come home.

***A/N: So what did you think? Please review and thank-you for reading. **


	40. Chapter 40

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter they were greatly appreciated thank-you all so much. **

***10 WEEKS LATER***

"I can't believe this," said Dave. "Are you kidding me?" he asked as he talked on the phone. "Well, thank-you for NOT helping me," he said as he hung up the phone.

"Daddy," said Scarlet. "Is Mommy coming home soon? I really want Mommy to come home. I miss her."

"I miss her too. I'm working on it, Scarlet. I'm trying to do everything I can. Just hang in there okay?"

"I can't Daddy. I just want my Mommy," she said sadly. Scarlet had been taking Tessa's leaving very hard. She cried every night she went to bed, she woke up in the middle of the night having nightmares all because Tessa made the selfish decision to leave her family. She obviously didn't realize how much her children loved her and how much they needed her. Scarlet needed her desperately. It was tearing her apart. She just wasn't happy anymore. She was a very sad child. Zachary on the other hand was very upset with his mother. He never asked about her and was not willing to forgive her for leaving. He was so angry he had lost all trust in everyone. Dave was paying a lot for both his children to go through therapy because of Tessa. It shouldn't have been that way. Dave was taking it just as bad as the kids. He didn't know how to feel. He was upset that she left causing so much pain, he was worried because he hadn't heard from her for almost 3 months and frustrated because he could not find her; no one could find her.

"I know you want Mommy. I want her too. We're going to find her," said Dave as he scooped Scarlet up. "So what do you want to do?"

"Color," she said. "I want to color."

"Okay," said Dave, "we can color." He carried her into the living room and put her down by the coffee table where her crayons and paper were laying. He knelt down at the table to color with her.

As they were coloring Scarlet came out of the blue and said, "Daddy."

"Yes?"

"Do you think Mommy misses us?" She asked as she colored her picture.

"I'm sure she does."

"Then why isn't she here if she misses us?"

"Scarlet, your mom wasn't doing too well when she left. I don't know how to word it. I just think she's overwhelmed and she feels like she hurt us more than helped us when she was home. She's trying to protect us."

"But I hurt in my heart because she's not here."

"Me too, Scarlet."

"Does she love us?"

"She always has and I'm sure she always will. She's just confused right now."

"Well, I love her a lot and I hope she comes home soon. Does she think about us?"

"I'm sure she's thinking about us everyday," said Dave as he broke the crayon from coloring too hard because he was thinking about Tessa and he could hear the pain in his daughter's voice.

"Good," said Scarlet. "Look, Daddy! I colored a picture of Mommy. I miss her blue eyes and I miss her hugs."

"I miss her eyes too and I miss her hugs also."

"I miss her stories," said Scarlet. "She had the best stories. Is she still writing stories?"

"I don't know, Scarlet."

"I miss her voice…. I miss her," said Scarlet as she broke down into tears.

"Aww.. Scarlet, please don't cry. I miss her too. It's okay," he said as he wrapped Scarlet in his arms and allowed her to cry. He cried with her. He was missing Tessa just as much as Scarlet and he hated hearing Scarlet cry for her mother. It broke his heart every time.

As he was comforting her the doorbell rang. He picked Scarlet up and carried her to the front door so he could answer it. He opened the door to see John standing there. "Hey, Dave."

"John, come in," he said allowing him to come in. Lately John and Dave had been getting along. They were both worried about Tessa and plus they wanted to be civil for Zachary. He had been going through enough as it was.

"So any word?" asked John.

"No," said Dave walking him to the living room as he carried Scarlet. He put Scarlet down as they reached the living room and said, "Scarlet, how about you go upstairs and play while I talk to John."

"Okay, Daddy," she said as she headed up the stairs to go play giving John and Dave time to talk.

"So you haven't heard anything?" asked John as he took a seat.

"Nothing. You?"

"No. She hasn't contacted me. How's the search coming?"

"There's nothing for them to search and what they could search didn't last too long. She emptied her account before she left, she shut off her cell phone and if she got another one she's not using her name. She doesn't' have her car so they can't trace that. There's not really anything they can do."

"So we're basically stuck where we are?"

"Pretty much. I talked to the investigator today and he said there's not much more he can do. I even had him search the name Tessa Bennett with Bennett being her mother's maiden name but nothing. I don't know what else to do."

"Dave, this isn't like Tessa I'm worried about her."

"So is the shrink she went to visit before she left. She said that Tessa was talking about hurting herself and she did talk about running away. She's worried about her because Tessa was in a very bad place. I know this isn't like Tessa. I keep thinking that she killed herself."

"Don't' think like that," said John.

"And I don't know how to feel about this. I'm sad because she left but I am so upset because she was selfish to do this. How can she leave her kids? How can she do this to them?"

"How are they doing?"

"Same as they have been.. Scarlet cries all the time and Zachary is so angry. It's been three months, John. How does someone just disappear without a trace?"

"I don't' know, Dave. Did you check into some of her family's property?"

"They have property?" asked Dave as this information was new to him.

"Yes. They have property in Aspen, Colorado, Florida and Australia. Her father was a very wealthy man. You should check into some of those properties," said John.

"I don't know," said Dave. "Tessa wouldn't go to family property if she didn't want to be found. She made it clear she doesn't want to be found but I am going to have those properties checked."

"Maybe you'll get lucky and she'll be there."

"I'm going to say she's not out of the country. There's no way she got out of the country because she would need to use her passport. Her passport has been left behind. She's in the US somewhere."

"Are you sure her passport hasn't been used?"

"I'm sure unless she got a new one but I wouldn't see how."

"I don't know. Tessa is not stupid," said John, "she knows how to hide. I never thought she was capable of this. She's good."

"John," said Dave.

"I know but it's true. She didn't want to be found and that's just what is happening here."

"I know and I hate it. I want to find her. I need to find her to make sure she's okay. I need her to get the help that she needs. I love her, John. I miss her so much and our kids miss her. I am not going to give up looking for her. I will do everything I need to in order to find her."

"Good luck," said John. "I hope you find her soon."

"Me too," said Dave. "Thanks."

"No problem. What if you can't find her? Are you going to give up?"

"No. I'm not. I am always going to look for her… I know she's out there and I will find her. I don't care how long it takes."

"You're stronger than me. I would give up," said John.

"I can't give up. She is my wife," said Dave. "I love her. I can't give up."

"I understand," said John. "I know this may not be the best time to bring this up BUT I need Zachary in about 6-7 months."

"Why?" asked Dave.

"Because my girlfriend and me are getting married," he said with a smile.

"All ready?" asked Dave. "Isn't it a little soon?"

"No. WE love each other and I've known her since high school so we've decided to get married. Plus neither of us are getting any younger."

"And Zola?" asked Dave.

"She accepts it. She's doing so well in her treatment. She's happier. Thank-you for offering the deal."

"No.. it wasn't my idea. It was Scarlet's she didn't' want Zola to go to jail. She begged for us not to let them send her so I came up with the deal. I'm glad she's doing well."

"Thanks," said John. "Me too. She is doing very well.. She is so happy. She's sorry for everything she's done to Scarlet and Tessa. She's very sorry."

"It's okay," said Dave. "Just as long as she stays happy and congratulations to you on your engagement."

"Thanks. You're invited just so you know."

"I don't need to be invited it's okay," said Dave.

"Dave, I'd like to think we're friends now. I want you at my wedding."

"I'll think about it. I'm not really in the wedding going type of mood."

"Well, there's still some time to think about it."

"Okay," he said. "Thanks."

"No problem," said John. "I think I should go. I will call later to talk to Zachary. Just stay positive. I'm sure Tess will pop up sooner or later."

"I hope so," said Dave as he walked John to the door. "Thanks for the information on the family property."

"You're welcome. I hope it helps."

"It's more than I knew before. Thank-you."

"You're welcome. Have a good day."

"You too," said Dave as John walked down the front porch and Dave shut the door behind him. He was grateful for John's information and he got on the phone to call the investigator for him to look into it. He really hoped this would help him find Tessa.

***In PARIS***

Tessa was laying on the couch looking at pictures of Scarlet and Zachary. She missed them so much but she still felt being away from them was what was best for everyone. She wondered how they were doing. She thought about them often and always wondered what they were up to. "Ms. Bennett," said Angelique as she came into the living room.

"Angelique, I really wish you would call me Kate. I don't like being called Ms. Bennett," she said laying the book down.

"I'm sorry, Kate," she said. "What are you looking at?" she asked in her French accent that Tessa had grown accustomed to and was beginning to understand.

"Pictures," she said.

"I see," she said. "How did the doctor appointment go?"

"It was good. I had an ultrasound," she said as she pulled the sonogram out of her purse. "See? Here's my baby."

"Aww," said Angelique as she looked at the picture. "How far long are you?"

"12 weeks," she said as she thought about that last night she spent with Dave before she left. He wanted to try and he had succeeded in his attempt.

"Is it a girl or a boy?" she asked looking at the picture.

"They can't tell me yet. I have to wait a little bit of time. I hope it's a girl."

"Ms. I mean, Kate, where is the father?" she asked looking at Tessa.

"It's complicated, Angelique. I'd rather not discuss it."

"Does he know?" she asked.

"No and he won't," said Tessa. "It is better if he doesn't."

"Oh," she said handing the picture back to Tessa. "So it will just be you and the baby? No father?"

"No father. Just the baby and me."

"You need a nursery," she said.

"I know, Angelique. I plan on starting that soon."

"Good," said Angelique.

"Do you have children, Angelique?"

"No, Madame, I am not married," she said. "No children for me."

"I see," said Tessa.

"Well, Madame, are you hungry or thirsty?"

"No. I'm okay. I just want to go lay down. Thank-you, Angelique," she said as she got up from the couch grabbing her photo album off the table.

"Madame," she said with a hint of nervousness.

"Yes?" asked Tessa as she turned in the doorway of the living room.

"Who are the children in that book?"

"Two children that I love very much, Angelique. Anything else?"

"No, Madame."

"Okay," said Tessa as she walked out of the living room and made her way up the spiraling staircase to her bedroom. She laid the photo album down on the dresser and walked over to the bed to lay down holding the ultrasound picture. She kissed the picture and laid it down on the bedside table before placing her hand on her stomach. She had a small baby bump that she ran her hand across. "It's just you and me, Baby. I am going to do everything I can to give you the best life you deserve. I'm sorry you're coming into a complicated situation. Having a baby was never my intention when I left your father. I never expected to get pregnant but it happened. I thought about giving you away but I can't do that. You're my last chance at perfection. You're my last chance to do things right. You may not have a father but you and me will make it. I will give you the world. I love you so much. We'll be okay. I promise," said Tessa as she rubbed her stomach and had tears forming in her eyes. She finally broke down crying overwhelmed from her pregnancy hormones, mixed with her depression and the hint of guiltiness she felt deep within her heart. She felt bad for keeping the baby a secret from Dave but it was for the best. It was best for all of them.

***a/n: So what did you think? Please review and thank-you for reading. **


	41. Chapter 41

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. THey were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much.**

***6 ½ months later***

Dave still didn't find Tessa. He had tried everything. He had all of her family's property that John told him about searched from Aspen to Australia but she wasn't there. She had truly disappeared and there was no way to find her. He still wasn't ready to give up. He knew one day she would come back. He had a strong hope that one day she would come back to be a mom again and to be his wife again. He missed her so much and each day was harder for him that he didn't have her in his life. Zachary and Scarlet were still troubled by their mother's disappearance but they were dealing with it better than months earlier. Scarlet was still sad and still missed her mom but she didn't cry all the time like she had been earlier on when Tessa first left. She said a prayer every night that her mom would come back soon. She was hoping like her father that Tessa would come back any time now. Zachary on the other hand missed his mom but it didn't matter to him if she came back or not. He was still upset about her leaving them. He didn't think he would ever forgive his mom. Their lives were starting to being somewhat normal and with Tessa gone they had fallen into their own routine. Even though things weren't the best for them things were getting better.

Dave and the kids were in West Newbury for John's and Kelli's wedding. Zachary was one of the ring bearers and John was nice enough to allow Scarlet in the wedding to be the flower girl. John and Dave were finally friends after accepting the fact they would be in each others' lives forever. John had even allowed Dave to remain having custody of Zachary as long as he had visitation. Dave and Scarlet were sitting at a table during the reception when Zola and John came over to them. "Scarlet," said Zola with her curly brown hair hanging down to her shoulders in ringlets and wearing a pale pink dress. She looked much happier than she did before she went to get her treatment for her problems.

"Yes," said Scarlet as she sat on her dad's lap playing with the little heart sequins laying on the table.

"I just wanted to tell you I am sorry for everything I did to you. I was upset because my mom died that I just took it out on you and your mom. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," said Scarlet.

"I really didn't' mean to hurt you or your mom. I was just really sick in my head," said Zola.

"It's okay. My mommy is sick in her head too," said Scarlet.

"I heard about your mommy. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," said Scarlet. "I like your dress. It's very pretty."

"Thank-you," she said. "So is yours."

"Thank-you," said Scarlet with a smile. "Do you want to go dance?"

"Sure," said Zola with a smile.

"Let's go," said Scarlet as she jumped off her dad's lap to go out on the dance floor with Zola.

John took a seat at the table next to Dave. "Shouldn't you be spending time with the new Mrs. Cena?" asked Dave.

"She's visiting her friends," said John. "Scarlet looks happy."

"This is the happiest I've seen her in a while," said Dave. "She's been so upset about Tessa she forgot how to have fun and be a kid. It's good to see her smile."

"I hear you," said John. "No word from Tessa yet?"

"Nothing," said Dave. "Anyway. You had a beautiful wedding."

"Thank-you," said John, "but that was all Kelli. She planned everything. I let her run the show."

"She did a great job. Congratulations!"

"Thanks," said John with a smile. "I'm glad you could make it."

"Thanks for inviting me and thanks for allowing Scarlet to be in your wedding. I think she enjoyed it."

"Well, Scarlet is like family," said John.

"As are your children to me," said Dave. "So you're moving?"

"Yeah. Kelli and me have decided to move to Florida. We needed a bigger house and these cold winters are not fun at all so we are looking to moving to Florida."

"That's cool. I have thought about moving but I still hope Tessa comes back one day and when she does I want her to find us."

"Yeah," said John. "That's a good idea."

"Yeah," said Dave. "So when are you headed out on your honeymoon?"

"Tomorrow morning. We're going to Europe for about three weeks. We're going to Madrid, Rome and London. It's going to be amazing," said John. "I am looking forward to it. Kelli wanted to go to Paris but we decided 4 weeks would be too long. We'll go to Paris some other time. We have the money."

"Yeah," said Dave. "I have been thinking about going on a trip just to get away from things. I was thinking Paris. Tessa loved Paris so I was thinking of going there but I don't know if Zachary and Scarlet would be into going to Paris so we'll probably just head to the Caribbean for a couple weeks just to get away from everything. It's been 6 ½ months but it's still tough for everyone. We all just need a break."

"I hear you," said John. "Well, I hope that you get your trip to the Caribbean. I'm going to go join my wife. Hang in there okay?"

"I'm trying. Thank-you. Congratulations once again."

"Thank-you," said John as he stood up and walked over to join his wife.

***PARIS 3 Days Later***

Tessa was in a Paris hospital laying in a bed dealing with hard labor. She had been there for the last 15 hours and she was there all alone. Not one person by her side. Just Tessa or Kate as she had become known in Paris. She was in a tremendous amount of pain as all her labor was in her back. "All right, Ms. Bennett let's have a look at you and see if you're ready for pushing," said the one English speaking doctor available in the hospital.

"Okay," said Tessa with tears in her eyes. "It hurts so bad!"

"I know it does," said the doctor. "It will all be over soon." He checked to see how dilated she was and said, "it looks like it's time to push. Are you sure there is no one you want us to call to come be with you?"

"I don't have anyone," said Tessa. "Just the baby and me."

"All right," said the doctor as he called the nurse over to help hold Tessa's hand. "All right….PUSH!" Tessa let out a big push. "All right stop. Good you're doing good," said the doctor. He waited a few seconds before telling her to push again and she let out another push.

She continued following his instructions until she felt a burning and painful sensation. She let out a loud scream as she began to crown. "It hurts," she said, "I can't do this. I want to stop."

"You can't stop now," said the doctor. "You're almost there. The baby is crowning and it looks like it is going to have a lot of hair. Lots of black hair. I need you to be strong Kate. I need you to keep pushing so we can get this baby out of you," he said as the machines started beeping as the baby's heart rate was beginning to drop. "Kate, we need to do this now. Your baby's heart rate is dropping. I need you to push."

"Okay," she said as she let out another push.

She pushed and pushed until the doctor said, "All right. The head is out. And the cord is wrapped around its neck. We have to cut the cord. Nurse!" he said causing Tessa to panic. She was worried about the baby and she didn't like being told that the baby's cord was wrapped around its neck. She could see the baby in the mirror and saw that it was more blue than pink like it should have been. Tears filled her eyes and suddenly she wished she wasn't doing this alone. She wished that Dave was there to be with her and comfort her. She was scared. The doctor cut the cord and said, "Kate, I need one more big push!" Tessa let out another push and the baby was out.

Tessa noticed the baby wasn't crying and said, "is my baby okay?"

"She will be. It's a girl!"

"A girl," said Tessa with tears in her eyes. "Can I see her?"

"In a couple minutes," he said as he handed the baby to the nurse.

"Is she breathing?" asked Tessa as she watched the nurse and doctor gather around the baby. NO one answered her as they worked on the baby. She had never felt so much fear in her life except when Scarlet had been poisoned by Zola. Tessa felt like she waited an eternity before she heard the cries of her baby girl. "Thank God," she said feeling instant relief.

"Here she is," said the nurse after wrapping her in a blanket and checking her weight. "All 6 lbs and 5 oz of her."

She walked her over to Tessa and placed her in Tessa's arms. She was definitely a peanut compared to Zachary and Scarlet. "She's so beautiful," said Tessa with tears in her eyes. She counted all her fingers and all her toes. "All ten fingers and all ten toes. Hey, Baby Girl. Welcome to the world," she said as she kissed her forehead as the tiny baby looked up at her. She was calm and quiet in Tessa's arms. Tessa studied her face and she looked like Scarlet and Zachary. She was the perfect mixture of them both. Her hair was black, her lips were scarlet like Scarlet's were, she had Zachary's nose and Tessa's blue eyes. She was beautiful. Tessa couldn't stop crying as she held her baby. "I love you so much, Baby. It's you and me," she said giving her another kiss on the forehead. "I wish your Daddy could see you. He'd love you. Your big brother and big sister would love you too. You're so precious. I love you." Tessa was in awe of her baby girl after all it was just her and her baby girl from now on. There was no one else. It was just the two of them in Paris.. It was their family. Tessa could not stop smiling as she held her baby girl.

"She is beautiful," said the nurse. "Almost a little Snow White."

"She does look like Snow White," said Tessa with a smile as she thought about how much Scarlet loved Snow White. "She is so beautiful."

"Does she have a name?"

"I don't know.. I think Adele," said Tessa looking at her baby girl.

"Adele Josephine Bennett," said Tessa.

"Very beautiful name," said the nurse with a smile.

Tessa smiled and looked down at the baby and said, "Welcome to the world Adele."

***A/N: So what did you think? Please review and thank-you for reading. **


	42. Chapter 42

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much! **

*** 5 YEARS LATER* **

Over the last 5 years Tessa had tried to raise Adele by herself and never contacting Dave to let him know he had another child. Tessa was successful and had made a great life in Paris, France. She tried to give Adele everything she desired. She gave her everything she could to make her happy but there was one thing Adele wanted that Tessa was unable to give her. As they drove in the car from Washington DC to New York Adele's words played over and over in Tessa's mind. "Mommy, do I have a daddy?" and "Mommy, why don't I have a daddy like the other kids in school?" Those words broke Tessa's heart. She could never answer Adele's questions truthfully nor could she lie to her. She could only tell her one day she would meet her daddy. That was the best she could do. "Are you okay?" Tessa asked her little girl as she sat in the seat next to her watching the scenery of the new land they were in.

"Oui," said Adele. Adele was fluent in French and English. She spoke more French though as that was her prime language in Paris and the language they used in her school.

"Okay," said Tessa as she wrapped her arm around Adele's shoulders.

" Mère où sont nous le départ," she asked looking at Tessa. _Mother where are we going._

"C'est une surprise," said Tessa with a smile.

"Une surprise ? Yay. J'aime des surprises," said Adele as her deep blue eyes lit up with excitement.

"Oui," said Tessa. "Adele parlez s'il vous plaît l'anglais." _Please speak English. _

"Okay, Mere, but I like French more," she said in her French accent.

"I know but where we are going you're going to need to speak English. Okay?"

"Okay, Mere," she said as she went back to looking out the window at the scenery. Tessa ran her hand through Adele's dark brown hair it reminded her of Scarlet's hair. Adele often reminded Tessa of Scarlet. She was as smart as Scarlet and she had Scarlet's personality mixed with a little Zachary. Adele was absolutely a sweet child that Tessa loved very much. She was all she had for the last 5 years until she left Paris so that she could give Adele the one thing she ever asked for in life. Tessa sat back and closed her eyes as they continued their drive to New York city.

While Tessa and Adele were on their car ride Dave and the kids were at the house in New York playing a game. The last 5 years had been tough for them. It had been a long road but they were staying strong. Dave never gave up looking for Tessa but everywhere he looked he could never find her. He was not giving up hope. He knew that one day she would come home. He missed her more than anything and just wanted to be with her once again. Scarlet was now 11 years old and she missed her mom terribly. She had gotten used to her mom not being home but she never stopped praying for her mom to come home. She just hoped that one day her prayers would be answered. Zachary on the other hand was 12 years old and he had completely blocked his mother out of his life. He had forgotten about her like she had forgotten about them. There was no place for forgiveness in his heart when it came to his mother. He thought she was selfish and self-centered. She made everything about herself instead of caring about what her children thought and how they felt. He felt he would never forgive her even if she did miraculously show up one day but he wasn't counting on it. "Scarlet," said Dave. "It's your turn."

"Okay," she said rolling the dice in their game of monopoly. "I love this game," she said as she moved her game piece. "Zachary, I want to buy this property please," she said handing him the money.

"Okay," he said handing her the card to the property she bought.

"You're good at it," said Dave with a smile.

"I know," she said with a smile. "It's all about strategy, Dad. Strategy."

"Oh really?" he asked.

"Yes," she said as Zachary took his turn.

"So Zachary, did Kelli have the baby yet?" asked Dave.

"Yeah, she had a little boy they named him Connor," said Zachary. "He looks like Amelia."

"So your dad gave up on the Z names huh?"

"Yeah," said Zachary with a smile. "How many Z names can one come up with?"

"You make a point," said Dave. "Well, I'm glad she had the baby."

"Me too," said Zachary. "But it's the last."

"I would hope so," said Dave. "I'm sure it was a surprise."

"It was."

"I bet. I know all about surprises," said Dave with a smile. "So Scarlet, how is school going?"

"The way it always goes boring. I am way above my class."

"I figured as much," said Dave, "you're like your mom."

"That's a great compliment," said Scarlet with a smile. "I still miss her. Did you find her yet?"

"Not yet," said Dave. "I'm still looking for her. I had someone find her parents' property in Paris and I'm waiting to hear back on that," he said as his cell phone rang. "Hold on. Let me get that," he said as he got up and walked away from the game. "Hello."

"Mr. Batista," said the man on the other line.

"Hey, Mitch, so what about Paris any sightings of her?" asked Dave as he jumped straight to the question.

"No," he said. "I'm sorry. When I got there no one was there. I didn't see anyone at all not yesterday or today. I'm sorry."

"Well, it was worth a try," said Dave. "Thank-you."

"You're welcome. If you come up with anything else let me know and I will be on it."

"I think I'm done looking for now. I don't' know where else to go from here," said Dave.

"So you're done looking for her?"

"Yeah. All I can do now is hope that she comes home. That's all I can do. Obviously looking for her isn't going to find her so I will wait."

"What if she doesn't come back?" asked Mitch.

"I know Tessa. She will be back," said Dave hopefully. The amount of hope he held in his heart for her was amazing. He had a lot of faith in Tessa and he knew one day she would come back he just didn't know when. He would wait forever if he had to.

"All right. Goodbye."

"Goodbye, Mitch, thank-you for all your help."

"You're welcome," he said. "If you change your mind you know where you can find me. Bye."

"Bye," said Dave hanging up the phone. He walked back into the living room to finish playing the game. "How about we go out for dinner?"

"Dad, what is going on?" asked Scarlet. "What happened? You took us out for pancakes when Mom left now you're taking us out for dinner. What is going on?"

"We'll discuss it over dinner," he said as they started to put the game away. Once the game was away they went out to enjoy a nice family dinner where Dave was telling them the news that he had given up looking for Tessa and all they could do was hope for her to return.

When they got back to the house after dinner none of them were really in high spirits but they were making the best of the rest of the evening. They were getting ready to watch a movie together as Dave made popcorn for the movie. It was now his time to take their minds off of Tessa. He brought the popcorn into the living room and sat down on the couch with the kids and put the movie on. They were really into the movie when the doorbell rang halfway through it. "Who could that be at this time of night?" asked Dave looking at his watch seeing that it was a little after 9.

"I don't know," said Scarlet as she shrugged her shoulders. "Ignore it. Maybe they will go away."

"Good idea," said Dave as he directed his attention back to the movie but the doorbell rang again and again. "Shit," he said. "I'll get it."

"All right," said Scarlet as her dad got up off the couch to answer the door.

Dave walked to the front door and turned on the porch light. He opened the door and to his surprise he saw Tessa standing there. He wasn't sure if he was dreaming or if it was reality. "Tessa," he said as he lost all the color in his face. He looked her up and down. She was as skinny as she was when she left, her hair was cut into a bob, and she was standing in black heels, blue jeans, a white t-shirt with a black leather jacket over top. Her deep blue eyes filled with tears as she looked at her husband for the first time in five years. Dave's eyes welled up with tears and he said in no higher than a whisper. "Is it really you?"

Tessa choked on her tears and said, "It is." Her voice was faint and barely above a whisper. "I am here, Dave," she said as tears rolled down her cheek after seeing him for the first time in 5 years. He had definitely aged since she had left. His hair was grey, his stubble was just as grey but he was still as muscular as ever not to mention as hot has he had always been. "Dave," she said as she broke down into tears. She wrapped her arms around his neck and cried on his shoulder.

Dave was still in shock as he stood with Tessa's arms wrapped around his neck. "Tessa," was all he could say as tears rolled down his cheeks. "Tessa."

"I know, Baby," she said. "I know," she said.

Scarlet was growing nervous as she realized her father had been gone for too long so she got up from the couch and walked to the door to check on him. She saw her dad in the door way standing limp with a woman's arms wrapped around his neck. She squinted at the sight as if she couldn't believe it herself. She walked over to the door closer but she couldn't recognize the woman. "Dad," said Scarlet with a shaky voice as if she was about to cry.

"Scarlet," he said as Tessa dropped her hands.

Tessa moved away from Dave and looked at Scarlet. It had been so long since she had seen Scarlet. It had been 5 years since she saw her little girl. She had grown up to be a beautiful young lady. Tessa admired her shoulder length hair, her dark brown eyes and saw she was just as skinny as Tessa was at her age. "Scarlet," said Tessa with tears in her eyes forming again. "Scarlet."

"Mom?" asked Scarlet admiring her mother. She looked different than what she had remembered but she knew it was her mother. She ran over to Tessa and wrapped her arms around her neck. "Mom," she said as tears flowed from her eyes.

"Yes, Scarlet, it's me," said Tessa. "I'm here," she said choking on her words. "Scarlet," she said as she wrapped her arms around her.

"I missed you, Mom. I missed you a lot. I missed your hugs," she said as she held her mom tighter.

"I missed you," said Tessa through her tears. "Look how beautiful you are," she said as the hug broke. "So beautiful."

"Thank-you," said Scarlet as Zachary came to see what all the chaos was about.

"Zachary," said Tessa as she looked at him. Dave and Scarlet moved out of the way knowing how Zachary felt about his mother. "Zachary," she said with more tears growing in her eyes. "Look at you. You're so handsome. I missed you. Come here. Let me hug you," she said.

"If you think for one minute everything is okay because you show up here you're wrong. You don't deserve a hug from me. Why are you here? Why did you come back?" he asked anger present in his voice but tears in his eyes. He was consumed with anger and sadness.

"Zachary," said Dave. "That is your mother."

"Only because she wants to be," said Zachary. "She wasn't my mother for 5 years. Why are you here?"

"Zachary," said Tessa as she let the tears fall free from her eyes. Zachary's words were like a knife twisting in her back. His words cut deep but he had every right to be angry. "Zachary," she said.

"Leave me alone," he said as he ran upstairs.

"ZACHARY," she yelled through her hysterics.

"Tessa," said Dave. "It's okay. He's upset. I'm sorry."

"No," said Tessa. "I deserved that. I really did deserve that."

"No you didn't," said Dave.

"Yes I did," said Tessa as her driver came to the door holding Adele in his arms.

"Ms. Bennett," he said handing her to Tessa.

"Thank-you," she said as she held a sleeping Adele who stirred awake in Tessa's arms.

Dave and Scarlet looked at each other puzzled and then looked at Tessa for an explanation. Before she could say anything Adele looked at Dave and Scarlet through her deep blue eyes. "La mère où sont nous," she said with her deep blue eyes wide.

"English," said Tessa.

"Where are we? Who are they?" she asked with a bit of fear in her voice.

"Tessa," said Dave.

"Who is Tessa?" asked Adele. "I thought you were Kate. Mere, who is Tessa?"

"Tessa," said Dave as he looked from Adele to Tessa.

"Je suis Tessa, Adele. Mon nom réel est Tessa pas Kate," said Tessa to Adele in French meaning she was Tessa and her real name was Tessa and not Kate. Adele didn't say anything but look at her mother puzzled.

"Tessa," said Dave. "What is going on?"

"I think we should talk," she said. "Can I come in?"

"I think we should," he said allowing her to come in with Adele.

***A/N: So what did you think? Please review and thank-you for reading. **


	43. Chapter 43

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. they were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much!**

They walked into the kitchen Dave allowed Tessa go first as she was carrying Adele and Scarlet walked behind her mother. Dave continued to look at Adele and look at Tessa. He was so confused on what was going on. It had been 5 years. He wasn't sure if Tessa had met a man wherever she was and had a baby with him. "Tessa," he said as they all took a seat around the table. "What is going on?" he asked.

"Mere, who is he?" asked Adele as she looked up at Tessa with her big deep blue eyes.

"Adele, patience," said Tessa as she ran her hands through Adele's hair. "Dave," she said. "There is a lot going on. Or a lot that has gone on."

"Okay," said Dave. "So how about we start here.. Where the hell have you been? I have been going crazy looking for you and trying to find you. I couldn't find you anywhere. Where the hell have you been?"

"I was away," said Tessa. "I was out of the country."

"Where were you, Tessa?" asked Dave with his patience fading. He didn't want her eluding questions with evasive answers he wanted the truth. He wanted to know where she had been. He wanted her to answer the questions.

"I was in Paris," she said.

"For 5 years?" he asked.

"Yes," she said. "For 5 years I was in Paris. I live at my parents' house well my house now in Paris."

"Why? Why did you leave, Mom?" asked Scarlet.

"Because I was a bad mother. I let bad things happen to you. Things that shouldn't have happened. I did bad things to your father. I was a bad wife and mother. I didn't want to hurt you guys any more than I had already. I had to leave," said Tessa as Adele snuggled up against her chest.

"And you thought leaving us would make us feel better?" asked Scarlet. "Because it didn't. I cried everyday after you left. I cried a lot. I was always scared to go to school because I was scared dad would leave too. It tore me apart. I was so hurt when you left. I just wanted you to come home. I had bad dreams when you left. Every night I went to bed I had a bad dream about you leaving. I would always try to stop you but you always kept walking. I was 6 years old, Mom. I needed my mommy. I loved you so much," said Scarlet as tears burned her eyes. "But you weren't there."

Tessa's eyes filled with tears at Scarlet's honesty. "I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't know. I just thought it was the best thing at the time. I didn't mean to hurt you more. I never wanted you to have bad dreams. I never wanted to hurt you. I'm sorry," said Tessa as a tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Whether you meant it or not," said Scarlet through her sobs, "you did."

"I'm sorry," said Tessa. "I never wanted to hurt you," she said as more tears fell from her eyes.

"Mere, why do you cry?" asked Adele as she reached her hand up to wipe away her mother's tears. "Don't be sad. Why do you cry?"

"I'm okay," said Tessa as she took Adele's hand and kissed it. "Scarlet, I'm so sorry."

"Mom, I don't know how to feel," she said. "Are you here to stay?"

"I don't know that yet," she said honestly. "I'm not sure."

"Tessa," said Dave as he took a deep breath. "Would you really cause all that pain again and leave?"

"Dave, I don't know," she said. "I really don't know."

"I think you do know. And you came back for a reason. Why did you come back if you didn't' think you were going to stay?"

"I came back because there's stuff you don't know that you need to know," said Tessa.

"Okay," said Dave as he looked at Adele. She was still a mystery to him. "Who is that?" He asked pointing at her.

"I am Adele," she said in her French accent. "Who are you?"

"I am Dave," he said. "Tessa?"

"Dave," she said looking at him with her deep blue eyes. It had been a while since Dave saw her deep blue eyes looking into his. Tessa's heart was pounding as she looked at her husband knowing that she was about to reveal the biggest secret she had ever kept in her entire life.

"Tessa," he said meeting her blue eyes with his brown eyes.

Tessa took a deep breath and held onto Adele tighter. "Dave, this is your daughter."

"My daughter?" asked Dave. "What are you talking about? How can she be my daughter? It has been 5 years since I saw you.. She is 5 years old at least maybe 4. How is she my daughter?"

"Mere?" asked Adele. "He is my papa?"

"Yes, Adele. That is your papa," said Tessa with tears in her eyes. "Dave, She is your daughter. That's what I am talking about. She just turned 5," said Tessa.

"Doesn't make her my child. You were gone for 5 years never calling or writing and then show up at the doorstep with a little girl claiming that she is mine? I don't think so. How do I know she doesn't belong to some French guy in Paris? How do I know she is mine?" asked Dave. "When is her birthday?"

"February 19th," she said. "Meaning she was conceived in May 6 years ago."

Dave contemplated the information and said, "Tessa… how can I believe you? You have been gone since May 6 years ago… you could have gotten pregnant after you left not before."

"All right," she said. "Remember that night? The night I left? Remember that passionate night we shared. Well, Dave, meet the result of that passionate night, Adele Josephine Bennett."

Dave's face turned white as he remembered the night Tessa left. He remembered the night of passion they shared together and then he calculated out the timing. For Adele to come in the middle of February she would have been conceived the night Tessa left. He looked at Adele who was looking at him with her deep blue eyes that she had inherited from Tessa. He studied her face and some of her features matched Scarlet's as well as his. She even had features matching Tessa's. It was clear to him that Adele was his daughter and tears filled his eyes. "Tessa," he said as he choked on a sob.

"Dave," she said through her own sobs.

"Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell me about her?"

"Because I thought the best thing was to live my life and you live yours," she said.

"How did you do it alone for 5 years?" asked Dave.

"I invented my own jewelry line and clothing line," she said. "Adele."

"You created Adele?" asked Dave shocked. Adele was an expensive child clothing line that was very popular as well as the jewelry from the Adele line. He couldn't believe that it was Tessa that owned both lines.

"Yes, Dave. It is mine but Adele is entitled to a quarter of the earnings" she said. "I had to make a living somehow."

"You made more than a living," said Dave, "You became one of the richest women in the world."

"I guess," said Tessa, "but this isn't about that. This is about Adele our daughter. This little girl is your daughter, Dave."

"She is my sister?" asked Scarlet.

"Yes," said Tessa.

"Mere, who is that?" asked Adele pointing to Scarlet.

"That is your big sister Scarlet," said Tessa. "And you have a brother named Zachary."

"She is the girl from the pictures in the living room," said Adele recognizing Scarlet from the 10 X 13 pictures of Scarlet Tessa had hanging up in the living room of their home in Paris.

"Yes she is," said Tessa, "and the boy is upstairs."

"Wow," she said with amazement.

"Dave," said Tessa as she looked at him. "Are you still with us?"

"Yes," he said. "Can I see her?"

"Yes," said Tessa. "Adele, go to your papa so he can see you." She let Adele off her lap so she could go see Dave.

"Okay, Mere," she said with a smile as she walked cautiously around the table over to her father. This was the first time they had ever seen each other in her entire life. It was the first time they ever knew the other existed.

Dave looked at Adele as she stood in front of him and tears filled his eyes. "Adele," he said, "that is such a beautiful name. Adele Josephine. A beautiful name for a beautiful little girl. Tessa, she is beautiful."

"I know," said Tessa with tears in her eyes. "We did good."

"Five years you kept her from me, Tessa. I wanted to be there and you know it."

"I know," she said, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Adele," he said taking her tiny hands into his. "I'm your papa."

Adele grew tears in her deep blue eyes and removed her hands from Dave's hands and threw her arms around his neck. "Oh, Papa!" she said with excitement.

"Adele," he said with tears in his eyes as he wrapped his arms around her.

"I wanted to meet you for so long, Papa. I never knew I had a papa. I love you, Papa!" she said in her thick French accent almost so thick that Dave almost didn't understand her. "You are handsome man, Papa!"

"Thank-you," he said with a smile. "You're a beautiful girl."

"Thank-you, Papa," she said as she hugged him once more. She was so happy to have finally met her father that it made Tessa cry seeing how happy and excited she was.

"Scarlet," said Dave. "Can you take Adele upstairs to your room so I can talk to your mother?"

"Yes, Dad," she said as she stood up. "Adele, let me show you my room."

"Okay," said Adele as she took Scarlet's hand. Dave and Tessa watched them walk out of the kitchen.

"So 5 years?" asked Dave. "It never dawned on you to call me or write to me to tell me that you were pregnant and then not to tell me I had a daughter after she was born?"

"Dave, it was a difficult time. I wanted to but I couldn't. I couldn't tell you. I had my life in Paris."

"It doesn't matter, Tessa. Your life was here. You life was with your husband and your children. Do you know what hell you put us through? Do you know how much pain you caused your children? Do you know how many hours and years they spent in therapy because you chose to leave them? You have no idea because it wasn't you that dealt with Zachary's anger as he was beating up kids in school, getting kicked out of school and losing all trust in anyone he knew. It wasn't you that dealt with Scarlet crying every night because you were gone. You didn't deal with her nightmares and lose any sleep because she kept dreaming that you were leaving her over and over again. You didn't' have to hear her every night praying that you would come home. You weren't here for that. You were in Paris being selfish, raising a child that I should have known about when you should have been raising her here in New York with your family and you were out making one of the most popular jewelry lines and clothing lines in the world. You were selfish, Tessa. You will never know how much pain you caused us."

"I'm sorry," she said with tears running down her cheeks.

"It's too late for apologies," said Dave. "Why didn't you tell me about Adele?"

"I told you why."

"So why now? Why after 5 years did you decide to tell me?"

"Because she wanted to meet you. She has been asking about her father since she was 3. I wanted her to meet you."

"But you don't want to stay? Going back to live your life in Paris again?"

"Dave," she said. "That is where my life is."

"NO, Tessa, THIS is where your life is. You are a wife and a mother.. This is where your life is."

"Dave," she said as she cried. "I don't know where my life is anymore. I'm sorry."

"Tessa," said Dave as he moved over to sit beside her. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and said, "Tessa, this is where your life is. This is where it always has been. I don't mean to be an ass to you but what you did caused so much pain. I don't know why you left and now I don't know why you chose to hide our child from me. I deserved to know."

"I know that you deserved to know," she said. "And I'm sorry but I can't stay."

"Tessa, you're not leaving. I will not let you leave. Please don't hurt us like that again. Please," he said pleading with her. "Don't leave us. Every day since you've been gone I missed you. I never gave up hope for you, Tessa. Please don't hurt us again. Don't hurt me again. I love you, Tessa. I want to be with you forever. Please don't leave."

"Dave," she said as she felt her heart tightening. "I can't do this."

"You can do this," he said as he softly kissed her hair. "Please. WE need you. And you need us. Don't go. Please stay."

"Dave," she said as she broke down into deeper sobs.

"Tessa," he said as he wrapped his arms around her completely and pulling her toward him causing her head to fall on his shoulders where she cried and cried. "You just need to get the help that you need. We need you. Please stay.. I missed 5 years of your life. I don't want to miss any more. I missed 5 years of Adele's life I don't' want to miss any more. Please."

"Dave, I'll stay. I will stay with you.."

"Will you get the help that you need?"

"I don't need help," said Tessa. "I'm fine now. I am going to stay or you guys can come to Paris with us."

"Paris? Tessa, that's a big move."

"I know but you would love it there and so would the kids. The house is bigger and it's a beautiful place. Come to Paris with us. Please, Dave."

"Tessa," he said as he held her in his arms. "Paris is a really big move."

"Dave, I started a life over there. I want to go back to Paris and either you can come with me or you can stay here but I'm going back to Paris. It is not a bad place. I'm telling you that you will love it."

"Tessa," he said as he softly kissed her hair. "I want to be with you but Paris?"

"It's a new start. It's a new beginning. Come on," she said. "Scarlet and Zachary would love it. You would love it."

"All right," he said. "Paris it is," he said as he softly kissed her hair. "So tell me about Adele.. I want to know about her."

"She is 5 years old. She goes to a private pre-school in Paris. She is fluent in English and French but she chooses to speak French more. She loves animals and has a pet poodle named Sophie. Her favorite color is pink and she loves to sing. She plays the piano, she does ballet and she plays t-ball. She loves to paint and color and she is a very easygoing child. She is a mixture of Scarlet and Zachary. She likes to read books.. She is just awesome."

"And she seems to be quite the fashionista," said Dave with a smile as he held Tessa. It had been so long since he held her in his arms.

"She is," said Tessa with a smile. "She was the inspiration for Adele clothing line. She is very fashion cautious.. It is the French influence over her."

"You seemed to have done a great job with her so far."

"And you seemed to do great with Zachary and Scarlet," she said. "Tell me about them.. Please. I missed so much."

"Zachary is in middle school the typical middle school boy. He likes to do Tai Kwon Do which is what helps him relieve his anger. He plays baseball and football. He does fairly well in school but he could do a lot better. He doesn't have much friends and he's pretty much a loner. Scarlet plays the flute, she loves to read, she's at the top of her class, she plays the violin as well, she is a singer and she loves to write. She's written so much since you left. She isn't really into any sports. She is more of an artistic person.. She is you."

"I figured," said Tessa with a smile. "I missed so much. I'm sorry, Dave."

"Look.. Don't be sorry. It was a tough time and right now all we can do is move forward."

"Yes," said Tessa. "Moving forward. I just want you to know that the whole time I was gone I was never involved with anyone. I love you too much."

"I wasn't with anyone either," said Dave. "I love you too. That's why I never gave up hope."

"I'm glad that you didn't," she said. "I missed you so much."

"I missed you too," said Dave before he softly kissed her lips.

"And that… I missed that," she said with a smile as their kiss broke leaving her breathless. "You know what else I missed?"

"What?" he asked with a smile.

"I think you know," she said with a smile of her own.

"Oh yeah, I know," he said as he scooped her up from the chair and headed for the stairs.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Something that we both missed," he said with a smile as he carried her upstairs where they shared a passionate evening making love for the first time since they conceived Adele. As they finished making love Dave held Tessa in his arms and said, "I love you, Tess. I'm glad you're back."

"I love you too," she said as she enjoyed his touch on her arm as he ran his fingers over it. "I'm glad I'm back too."

They laid in silence for what seemed like an eternity just enjoying holding onto one another. It as something that hadn't been done for almost 6 years. Tessa was the first to fall asleep. Dave softly kissed her hair and said, "Tessa, I love you so much." And then he drifted off to sleep for a full night's sleep something he hadn't had since Tessa left for Paris.

***A/N: So what did you think? Please review and thank-you for taking the time to read. **


	44. Chapter 44

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much!**

The next morning Tessa woke up in Dave's arms. It was the first time in 6 years she had slept in his arms. It felt good to her. She looked at Dave admiring him and taking him in as he laid beside her. It was a beautiful view. She was snapped of her thoughts by Adele yelling for her. "MERE! MERE!"

Tessa let out a sigh and removed herself from Dave's arms causing him to stir awake. "Don't leave," he said pulling her back to him.

"Adele needs me," she said. "I have to go get her."

"All right," he said as he softly kissed her lips. "Good morning."

"Good morning," she said with a smile before getting out of bed to go check on Adele who was sleeping in Scarlet's room. "Adele, What is wrong?"

"Mere, where were you?" she asked as she sat up in Scarlet's bed. "I missed you. You always sleep with me. Where were you?"

"I was with your Papa. Are you hungry?"

"Yes, Mere," she said getting out of bed. "Can I please have some breakfast?"

"Come on. I'll get you something," she said taking Adele's hand and walking out of the room and downstairs to the kitchen. "Take a seat and I will get you something," she said as they reached the kitchen.

"Okay," she said as she took a seat at the table in her new surroundings. "When do we go back to Paris?"

"I don't know yet," said Tessa as she got out a box of cereal. "Your Papa and me have to talk about it."

"Papa seems nice," she said as Tessa prepared her bowl of cereal.

"He is nice," said Tessa.

"Why doesn't he live in Paris with us?" she asked in her French accent as Tessa poured milk on her cereal.

"Adele, I don't want to discuss that right now," she said as she placed her bowl with a spoon on the table.

Adele looked at it and said, "Mere, what is this?"

"This is cereal. It's called Trix. It is a fruity cereal," said Tessa as she walked to the fridge to get her a glass of orange juice.

"What is Trix?" she asked picking at the cereal. "I never ate Trix."

"It's a cereal. You'll like it," said Tessa. "Stop picking at it and eat it."

"I want some fruit and bread with chocolate filling," she said as Tessa laid orange juice in front of her. "And hot chocolate."

"Just eat the cereal. We don't have that stuff here," said Tessa. "Just try it. You'll like it," she said as she took a seat.

"This is a weird place, Mere. No bread with chocolate filling? Who ever heard of such a thing," she said, "and little fruit cereal so weird." She put her spoon in the cereal and pulled out a spoonful and tasted it. It was a different taste for her as she was not used to eating it and she finally said, "This is delicious!"

"I told you that you would like it," said Tessa with a smile. "Isn't it good?"

"Yes," she said with a smile. "We can live in America, Mere!"

"I think we're going back to Paris," she said with a smile as she watched her daughter eat.

"Bring Trix back to Paris with us! These are great," she said with a smile.

"I'll think about it," said Tessa with a smile as she shook her head.

"Okay, Mere," she said as she continued to devour her cereal as it was all new to her.

Later that day Dave and Tessa were talking to the kids about the past, the present and the future. Tessa wanted to apologize to the children for her actions 6 years prior. They were all sitting in the living room talking. "Zachary and Scarlet," said Tessa as she held Adele on her lap. "I know saying sorry isn't going to make up for all the pain and the hurt that I caused you but I want you to know that I'm sorry for putting you through everything I did when I left. I will admit it was a selfish choice and I'm sorry. I never stopped to think about how much pain and hurt it would bring to you. I thought I was doing the best thing at the time. I had a lot going on mentally and emotionally. I felt that I was the reason for Scarlet getting poisoned by Zola and then Zachary ran away because of all the fighting. There wouldn't have been fighting if it wasn't for me. That was all my fault. I felt everything was my fault and I was the one hurting you. I figured you guys would all be better without me if I left. That's why I chose to leave. I'm sorry."

"It was selfish," said Zachary. "You didn't care about us. Leaving us showed how much you didn't care about us. Do you know how angry it made me when you left?"

"I didn't mean to make you angry," said Tessa. "I'm sorry."

"Saying sorry isn't going to take my anger away. I don't even know if I should call you mom or Tessa. You haven't been in my life for 6 years," said Zachary.

"Zachary, I am your mother," said Tessa. "I will always be your mother."

"That's bullshit," he said.

"Zachary," said Dave with a warning look.

"I'm sorry," said Zachary. "I was speaking my mind. That's how I feel. It's bullshit that Tessa is here talking about being my mom and always being my mom but she didn't care she was my mom for 6 years when she went off and raised that kid."

"That kid is your sister," said Tessa, "and her name is Adele."

"So why did you feel it was better to raise her than us?" asked Zachary. He was angry. He had so much anger inside of him. It had been building up for 6 years. He never knew what he would say if he saw Tessa again but now that he was face to face with her his feelings were pouring out.

"Zachary, it's not like that," said Tessa.

"Whatever," he said, "Why did you come back?"

"Because Adele needed to meet her brother and sister as well as her father."

"And we needed a mother," said Zachary. "But you weren't here for us."

"I know and I'm sorry," said Tessa. She didn't know what else to say. She knew telling them she was sorry wasn't changing the fact she was gone for 6 years. They had every right to be upset with her. "Look, Zachary, you and Scarlet were on my mind every day. I missed you guys so much. There was not one day that I didn't think about you. You were on my mind EVERYDAY. I know I can't go back and change the past but I do want to make our present and futures better. I want to be with you guys. I can't change the fact that I left but I'm not leaving you guys again."

"What changed your mind?" asked Zachary.

"Seeing you. Seeing your father and seeing your sister. I missed all of you. I also think that Adele deserves the chance to know her father. I want us to be a family again. Look, I know you're mad at me and you have every right to be but I want to make things better for all of us."

"So you want us to just be a family after everything you put us through?" asked Zachary.

"Yes," said Tessa. "I'm hoping that you two can forgive me and be willing to be a family again. You don't have to forgive me today but I hope that one day you do forgive me. I hope one day that you stop being mad at me. I do love you two so much and I am really sorry for everything."

"Mom," said Scarlet. "I'm not going to lie to you. When you left us you hurt me a lot. I blamed myself all the time. I always felt like it was my fault because you were dealing with me being poisoned. I felt like I was the reason you left. I blamed myself for years. I still blame myself some times. I cried every night after you left. I never wanted to sleep because you always left me again in my dreams. I hated it. I hated the fact you left us but I never stopped loving you. I always prayed you would come back to us. Every night I prayed. I was hurt that you chose to leave and I still don't understand why but I know you know why you left. I'm sorry that you felt that everything was your fault but it wasn't Mom. It never was your fault. You were a good mom. You did everything you could for us and did everything to protect us. You were a great mom. I don't know why you felt you needed to leave. I won't understand but you know. I forgive you for leaving. I want to forget about the last 6 years and just be a family again. I'm not mad at you. I'm happy you're here and I hope that you stay here."

"She's going to leave again," said Zachary.

"She's not going anywhere," said Dave. "But we are."

"What do you mean we are?" asked Zachary with his voice still filled with anger.

"I mean we're moving," said Dave.

"Moving where?" asked Zachary.

"Yes, where are we moving?" asked Scarlet.

"Paris," said Dave. "We are moving back to Paris with your mom."

"PARIS!" yelled Zachary and Scarlet in unison.

"Yes Paris," said Dave.

"So your solution to the problem is to move us to Paris?" asked Zachary.

"It's not a solution it's how we're going to live as a family," said Dave.

"And if we don't want to go to Paris?" asked Zachary.

"Speak for yourself," said Scarlet. "I'm all for moving to Paris. The fashion, the romance.. I can't wait. When are we moving?"

"There will be no romance," said Dave, "you're 11."

"I know but Paris! I can't wait," said Scarlet with excitement. "Can I help you make jewelry and help you design clothes?"

"Absolutely," said Tessa with a smile. "Do you want your own clothing line too. We can do one for teenagers. Just let me know."

"That would be awesome!" said Scarlet. "Can it be called Scarlet Rose?"

"Whatever you want," said Tessa with a smile.

"AM I the ONLY one seeing the problem with this?" asked Zachary.

"Yes," said Scarlet. "You are. I think moving to Paris is going to be great."

"Yeah because you can be a fashion designer. I think it's ridiculous and I'm not moving to Paris."

"Then where are you going to go?" asked Dave.

"To Florida with my dad and Kelli," he said. "That's where I'm going."

"John lives in Florida now? And who is Kelli?" asked Tessa.

"Kelli is his wife and they moved to Florida after they got married," said Zachary.

"When did he get married?"

"5 years ago," said Zachary. "And he's happy."

"I'm glad he's happy," said Tessa. "He deserves to be happy."

"So you're not moving to Paris with us?" asked Dave.

"No. I'm not. I don't want to move to Paris. I have no reason to move to Paris. I want to live with my father," said Zachary.

"Zachary," said Tessa, "Please move with us to Paris. You're my only son. Please. We won't be a family without you."

"No. It's a stupid idea."

"Zachary," said Tessa, "Please. You'll love it there. It is a beautiful place. The house is beautiful. You will love it."

"I don't want to go to Paris. I will visit but I don't want to live there. I want to live with my dad," said Zachary.

"Tessa," said Dave, "maybe it would be better for him to live with his dad and then come to visit us. I don't think it's a good idea to force him to do something he doesn't want to do. Can you deal with him living with John and us living in Paris?"

"I would prefer him living with us," said Tessa, "but if it's better for him to stay in Florida with John. Then I can't argue. Is that what you want, Zachary?"

"It's what I want," he said.

"If that's what you want," said Tessa as she felt her heart breaking. She would rather have Zachary move with them to Paris but if he didn't want to she wasn't going to push him. It was his decision.

"It is," he said. "I can't live with you and be angry. I need to live with my dad and eventually lose my anger and then maybe I'll move to Paris but for now I need to live with my dad because I am too angry with you."

"That's fine," said Tessa. "That's fine."

"Thank-you," he said, "and Mom, I do forgive you but it's going to take me a while to stop being so angry with you."

"It's okay. I understand," said Tessa.

"And mom," said Zachary as he got up and walked over to her, "I love you," he said as he wrapped his arms around her neck.

"I love you too, Zachary," said Tessa with tears in her eyes as she was soon joined by Scarlet.

"I love you, Mom."

"I love you too, Scarlet," she said wrapping an arm around both of her children. It felt so good to Tessa to hug her kids again.

"Mere," said Adele as she got up to join in the hug. "I love you."

"I love you too, Adele," said Tessa with a smile as they welcomed Adele into the hug. For the first time in 5 years Tessa's family was complete.

***A/N: So what did you think? Please review and thank-you for reading. **


	45. Chapter 45

***Thank-you for your reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much. **

A week later John was in New York to get Zachary and take him down to Florida with him. Tessa answered the door after John rang the door bell while Dave was packing up their things to move to Paris. "John," said Tessa as she opened the door.

"Tessa," he said. "How are you? You look good."

"I'm better," she said. "Thank-you. How are you? I heard you got married," she said as John walked into the house.

"I am good and I did get married. I married Kelli from high school. She had two little girls and we just had a son."

"Congratulations," said Tessa. "I'm happy for you."

"Thank-you. I heard you had a little girl while you were away?"

"Yes I did," said Tessa. "Would you like to meet her?"

"Sure," said John as Zachary came downstairs. "Hey, Buddy."

"Hey, Dad," said Zachary as he gave him a hug. "Can we go now?"

"I wanted to meet your little sister. Can I meet her?" asked John.

"I guess," said Zachary.

"Adele, Honey, can you come here please?" called Tessa.

A few minutes later Adele came to the front door skipping up to her mother. "Yes, Mere?"

"I want you to meet someone," said Tessa with a smile. "Adele, this is my friend and Zachary's Papa; John. John, this is my daughter Adele."

"Hello, Mr. John. It's nice to meet you," said Adele with a smile on her face, her deep blue eyes big and extended hand.

"It's nice to meet you too, Adele," said John with a smile as he shook her hand. "I heard you're from Paris?"

"I am," she said with a smile. "We're going back to Paris this week!"

"I heard," said John. "So you really love it over there, Tess?"

"I do," she said. "I have friends over there and a career over there. That's where Adele's life is. It's where my new life is. I love it a lot."

"I'm glad to hear that. So you're happy?"

"Very happy," said Tessa.

"Well, just so you know we were all worried about you. Dave was a complete mess while you were gone and so were the kids."

"I know and I apologized for that. I never meant to hurt anyone I just needed to get away. I felt it would be better if I did but I realize that it wasn't better. It just hurt everyone. I'm trying to make things right."

"That's good to know," said John. "I'm happy for you."

"Thanks," said Tessa. "I'm glad you are happy too. I'm glad you got married again. How are Zola, Zaiden and Zuri?"

"Zola is a lot better now," said John. "It took her a while but she got the help she needed. She's a lot happier now and she knows everything she did was wrong. She's a different person. She doesn't give any problems anymore and she is truly sorry for everything she ever did to you. Zaiden and Zuri are both in kindergarten. They are amazing kids. They remind me of Ryan everyday. They are little people now. Zaiden is a football and baseball player and Zuri takes dance lessons and does cheerleading. They are amazing little kids. You would love them. They don't remember you though."

"I figured they wouldn't," said Tessa. "I miss them."

"Tess, they are so beautiful. They are just wonderful."

"I'm glad to hear they are all doing well."

"Thanks," said John. "So are you ready to go, Zach?"

"Yes, Dad I am," said Zachary.

"All right. Say your goodbyes."

"Okay," said Zachary as he walked into the living room where Dave was packing things up for their move. "Dad," said Zachary.

"What's up, Z?" asked Dave as he stood up from the box. "Is your dad here?"

"Yeah," said Zachary. "We're about to leave and head off to Florida."

"All right, Z," said Dave as he gave him a hug. "I'm going to miss you, Z. It's not going to be the same without you but I understand where you're coming from. I know you're angry with your mom and I know this is the best thing for you. I just don't want you to lose touch with me. I want to know everything that's going on in your life. And I hope that one day you join us in Paris. I love you, Z. Good luck." Dave couldn't hold back the tears in his eyes. He loved Zachary to death. He had been in Zachary's life since he was a baby and it was hard for him to say goodbye to him.

"I love you too, Dad. I'm going to miss you. I just need to think about stuff and then maybe I'll join you in Paris but right now I need to live with my dad till I get everything figured out. Thank-you for everything you've done for me and thank-you for being there for me when my mom was gone. I love you," said Zachary with tears in his eyes. "Bye, Dad," he said hugging him one more time before he went to say goodbye to Scarlet.

Zachary made his way upstairs to Scarlet's room where she was packing up some of her things. Zachary and Scarlet had always been close to one another since they were only a year apart in age. Zachary always looked out for Scarlet and Scarlet always looked out for him. "Scarlet, I'm leaving," he said.

"Okay," said Scarlet as she walked over to the door. She wrapped her arms around him and said, "Zachary, I'm going to miss you like crazy. I wish you were coming with us but if you have to go to Florida then I guess you have to go to Florida. I am going to miss you. I love you so much. You're the best brother in the world. It's not going to be the same without you."

"I love you too," he said. "I might come to Paris one day but right now I can't. I'm going to miss you too. I'm going to miss our campouts and playing games. I'm going to miss hanging out with you. You're the best sister I could ask for. I love you, Scarlet. Keep in touch with me," he said as he hugged her.

"Believe me I will. I'm going to text you everyday!" she said with a smile.

"I look forward to it," he said, "and don't let those boys in Paris take advantage of you because then I will have to go to Paris."

"I won't," she said with a smile.

"All right. Bye, Scarlet."

"Bye, Zachary," she said with a smile as they hugged each other one more time before Zachary headed downstairs to say good bye to Tessa.

Zachary met Tessa at the door and said, "Bye, Mom. I love you. I hope you enjoy Paris." He gave her a quick hug.

Tessa wouldn't let him break the hug as she had tears in her eyes. She hated the fact that he was going to live with John but it was what was best for him because he was still very angry with her. "Zachary, I just want you to know that I love you. I have always loved you and I always will. I know we're not where we should be and that you're still very upset with me but I hope that spending time with your father will make you not so angry with me. I am sorry for hurting you. I know I can say sorry a million times but it's not going to change anything. I love you, Zachary and I hope that you enjoy Florida but I hope that you stay in touch with me and talk to me. I hope that you allow our relationship to grow and that we become close again."

"Mom, I will talk to you everyday," he said. "I love you."

"I love you too. Will you come to Paris to live one day? I would love for you to be there."

"Most likely. I just have to let go of my anger," said Zachary.

"Okay," said Tessa as she hugged Zachary one more time. "I love you, Zachary."

"I love you too," he said hugging her back.

"All right," said John, "we have a long drive ahead of us. Let's load up the car and head out."

"Okay," said Zachary. "Bye, Mom."

"Bye, Baby," she said with tears in her eyes as she watched Zachary walk out the door with his father. She felt her heart break into tiny pieces realizing that it was because of her he was leaving. She watched them load up John's car and soon they were on their way. John and Zachary waved to her as they pulled out of the driveway. She was absolutely devastated watching her son leave but she knew it was the best for all of them. She closed the door once they were out of sight to see Dave standing behind her when she turned around.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I will be. It's just hard watching him leave," said Tessa.

"Just as hard as it was for him to see you leave, Tess. That pain you're feeling is what we all felt when you left us. It doesn't feel so good does it?"

"No," she said with tears in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Dave. I'm really sorry."

"I know you are but it's okay now. We're together again. Promise me you won't leave again."

"I won't leave again. I love you."

"I love you too, Tessa," he said as he embraced her so she could cry.

***a/n: So what did you think? Please review and thank-you for reading. **


	46. Chapter 46

***Thank-you for the reviews on the last chapter. They were greatly appreciated. Thank-you all so much.**

Two weeks later; Dave, Tessa, Adele and Scarlet arrived in Paris. Tessa's driver drove them to their home. As they pulled up to Tessa's home Scarlet was in awe. "This is your house, Mom?" she asked as she looked at the big home in front of her.

"Yes it is," said Tessa with a smile.

"It's so beautiful," said Scarlet. "I love it already!"

"Wait until you see the inside," said Tessa. "It's even more beautiful."

"I can't wait," said Scarlet as the driver parked the car.

"Well, let's go see it," said Tessa with a smile as she opened the car door to get out of the car.

"We're finally home," said Adele as she got out of the car and took her mother's hand.

"It's good to be home," said Tessa with a smile as she led them to the front door. Before she could open the door Angelique opened it for her. "Angelique!" said Tessa as she hugged her.

"Ms. Bennett," said Angelique as she hugged her back. "Welcome home."

"Thank-you," she said.

"And little Adele how was America?" she asked in her French accent.

"It was magnificent! I loved it. Miss Angelique they had little cereal that was shaped like fruits and tasted like fruits. It was really delicious. It was called Trix and there was a rabbit on the box!"

"That sounds wonderful," she said with a smile. "Your English, Miss Adele is better."

"I know," she said with a smile as they walked into the home.

"Angelique," said Tessa, "I want to introduce you to some people."

"Okay, Madame," she said.

"Angelique, this is my other daughter Scarlet. Scarlet, this is our maid and nanny Angelique. She is also one of my best friends."

"Nice to meet you, Scarlet," said Angelique.

"Nice to meet you too," said Scarlet with a smile.

"Daughter? I didn't know you had another daughter, Madame," said Angelique.

"It's a really long story," said Tessa. "And this is my husband; Dave. Dave this is Angelique."

"Nice to meet you, Monseiur," said Angelique with a smile.

"Nice to meet you too," said Dave as he kissed her hand.

"And husband?" asked Angelique. "Did you marry in America?"

Tessa thought about it and figured that would be a good enough story to tell everyone when they asked why her name was no longer Bennett. "Yes," she said as Dave looked at her. She whispered to Dave, "it's better than telling the whole story. You don't understand. I am not Tessa here. I am Kate Bennett here."

"But your name is Tessa," he said back in a whisper. "Just tell the truth."

"And what kind of animal is that going to make me? I walked out on my husband and kids? Yeah.. That's not going to work."

"Fine, Tess, do whatever you want," he said. "If it makes you feel better."

"And Angelique, I just want to let you know that Dave is Adele's father."

"Her papa?" she asked with a puzzled expression.

"Yes, her papa," said Tessa. "Dave is Adele's papa."

"He really is, Miss Angelique. And he is a really good Papa. I love him!" Said Adele as her blue eyes lit up with happiness.

"Madame Kate, she is so happy."

"I know," said Tessa with a smile. "Monseiur will be joining us here as will Scarlet."

"Wonderful," she said with a smile. "Congratulations."

"Thank-you," said Tessa with a smile. "I'm going to show them around. Could you prepare lunch for us while I'm doing that?"

"Yes, Madame," she said before walking away to prepare their lunch.

Tessa took them to the living room first. "This is the living room," she said as they walked around looking at the living room.

"You do have mine and Zachary's pictures," said Scarlet with a smile as she looked at their pictures on the wall.

"Yes I do," said Tessa with a smile. "I always hoped that one day you guys would be here living with me. Having your pictures up made me feel like you were here. I loved looking at them everyday. I would look at them and wonder where you guys were and what you were doing."

"Really?" asked Scarlet.

"Really," said Tessa with a smile. "Just because I was gone didn't mean I stopped loving you. I thought about you everyday. You and your brother were on my mind everyday."

"You were on my mind too," said Scarlet. "Can we see more of the house?"

"Absolutely," said Tessa with a smile as she continued on with the tour of the house. She showed them her office and her computer room. She showed them the family room as well as Adele's playroom that was filled with many toys and dress up clothes; mainly ballet outfits, but there were a lot of dress up clothes for her. Tessa then showed them the bedrooms and showed Scarlet where her room would be. Surprisingly enough it was already put together for her and ready for her to move in. "Scarlet, this is your room."

"This is my room?" asked Scarlet as she walked in and looked around. The walls were lavender and the bedding in the room was white with purple flowers with a lavender canopy over the bed. There were white dressers in the bedroom as well as a walk in closet already filled with clothes that Tessa had designed. "It's beautiful."

"I hoped you would like it," said Tessa. "I had a friend design it for you."

"I love it," she said as she walked over to the closet. "And there are already clothes for me?"

"Clothes from the Scarlet line," she said with a smile.

"The Scarlet Line?" asked Scarlet.

"Yes," said Tessa. "Your clothing line. The clothes are set to debut in one month. It is a clothing line for teenagers."

"So no one has these clothes yet?" she asked.

"Not yet," said Tessa with a smile. "How would you like to do a fashion show to debut the clothing line?"

"I don't know," said Scarlet. "I don't like to be in front of all those people."

"It's really fun," said Adele. "I do fashion shows. It is really fun."

"I don't know. It's just not me," said Scarlet.

"That's okay," said Tessa, "you don't have to if you don't want to. It's your line."

"That is so awesome," she said with a smile. "And the clothes are really cool too. I love it."

"Good," said Tessa with a smile. "Now, Dave, let me show you our room."

"Okay," said Dave as he followed Tessa to their room as Scarlet and Adele stayed in Scarlet's room.

Tessa led Dave down the hall to their room and opened the door. "This is our room," she said with a smile.

Dave walked in and was surprised when he looked at the white walls to see tons of pictures of them hanging on the wall. "Those are pictures of us," he said.

"I know," said Tessa. "Angelique always asked me who you were. I've had them there since I moved in. I liked having them up. They reminded me of happier times."

"Happier times? You seem happier being here," said Dave.

"I am now but when I first came here I wasn't happy at all. I was actually very sad living here. I missed you guys. I told you I thought about you guys everyday and then I found out I was pregnant. I thought about leaving and going back but I couldn't. I wanted to stay here. When I had Adele I wanted to come home but I chose not to. It wasn't until Adele was two years old that I had myself completely distracted from leaving Paris and heading to America. I still thought about you but as I started my career as a fashion designer I became happier. I made a life for Adele and me here. It was what I needed. I felt so bad for everything that happened with you and me in America. I felt bad for everything that happened with Scarlet and Zachary. I don't know why I felt that everything would be better if I left. I guess I just had it in my mind. I do regret leaving. I wish I never did but here is where I'm happiest. I hope that you're just as happy as I am living here."

"Tessa, I will be happy living anywhere as long as I am living with you," said Dave as he wrapped his arms around Tessa's waist.

"Even if it's in Paris away from your family?" she asked.

"My family is here," said Dave. "I don't know what Paris is all about but what I do know is it made you a happier person. Adele seems happy and Scarlet is happy too. So maybe this Paris thing isn't too bad. Maybe it's the new beginning that we need," he said. "Are you ready for a new beginning Kate Bennett-Batista?" he asked with a smile.

"I am ready for a new beginning," she said, "but I want to be Tessa Batista," she said.

"All right. Tessa Batista. I love you and I am ready for this new beginning with you," he said before he softly kissed her lips.

**THE END!**

**A/N: I want to thank everyone that has read, reviewed, favorited and alerted this story. I greatly appreciate you taking the time to read the Forbidden Trilogy. I chose to end it because there was not much more I could do with this story but I feel it ended on a good note. If you have any ideas that you would like to see please feel free to let me know. I really hope that you have enjoyed reading this story. Please review and once again thank-you for taking the time to read!**

***I will be starting a new story which I hope to post the first chapter on Thursday. It will be called Sobriety. I really hope that you check it out. Thank-you once again. YOu guys are awesome. **


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